BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - The WBEN Cares for Kids Radiothon is this Thursday to benefit Oishei Children's Hospital.
The annual event hopes to raise $173,000 to purchase a Storz 1S ENY Video Tower, which will provide increased image quality during ENT surgeries on children's nasal passages. The new equipment will mean shorter surgery and less anesthesia time for kids, better outcomes, and the ability to perform more complex surgeries that aren't able to be done by doctors. This tower is used at other top children's hospitals in the country, including ones in Boston, Cincinnati, PHiladelphia, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and elsewhere.
Last year, the funds purchased a NICU Transport Isolette, which helped transport more than 200 NICU babies from around WNY to Oishei Children's Hospital.
There's three ways to donate this year.
- Text "KissCares" or "WBEN" to 51555
- Call 716-323-2500 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday
- Clicking HERE
WBEN isn't the only organization benefiting the children's hospital in Downtown Buffalo. Students in the Ken-Ton School District collaboratively created large murals which will be placed in the 11th floor of Oishei Children's Hospital next month.
Gregory said it makes her feel good to know that their art can brighten up their day. Fellow Kenmore East freshman Jessica Simpson felt the same way about the project.
"It makes me feel great to know I'm giving them hope and to make them feel happy when they're going into surgery or coming out of surgery," she said.
Carr said they spent lots of time with their own students during the project, asking how they feel about a hospital, especially when on a level where surgeries are done, and what it would be like working in a hospital.
"We really wanted to bring a sense of calm and sense of peacefulness, but also some playfulness," Carr said. "We wanted people who view the artwork to be inspired by the bright colors of it, but then also as they spend some time up close, maybe getting lost in the piece itself so they could maybe momentarily forget about what else they have going on."
Students began the massive art project in February and will deliver to Oishei Children's Hospital on June 11. Additionally, students at the district created a hand-drawn coloring book for each floor of the hospital and they're also holding a coloring materials collection within the district. Donations could also be sent to the Kenmore East High School, Attn: Denise Carr, 350 Fries Road, Tonawanda, NY 14150. Specifically, they are looking for new packages of coloring materials including crayons, colored pencils, gel pens, and markers.
