Gale, a Cengage Company, provides digital resources and research technology to libraries across the country, among many other things. It’s an amazing company that ensures students and researchers have access to relevant and reliable content. But during the uncertainty of COVID-19, Gale is doing something else – something even more wonderful! The Gale team partnered with Cheeriodicals to brighten the spirits of nearly 300 hospitalized children at CS Mott Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Michigan with gift boxes filled with crafts, activity books, puzzles and games.

Committed to Delivering Cheer

Gale had originally scheduled a team building event with Cheeriodicals to coincide with their sales meeting that was to be held in March. The plan was to assemble 100’s of gift boxes for the children at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Sadly, similar to all other large gatherings, Gale’s meeting had to be postponed amid COVID-19 social distancing requirements. Instead of disappointing the hospital staff at C.S. Mott, Gale asked Cheeriodicals’ staff to move forward and ship all the gift boxes directly to the children’s hospital! As if this wasn’t enough, they also heard about another children’s hospital in Detroit in need of a little cheer (Children’s Hospital of Michigan) and out of pure kindness, decided to deliver to them as well!

Impact Made – Hospital Staff Needs Encouragement Too!

While we always expect to receive photos, videos, Facebook posts and other messaging from parents, these two deliveries offered a truly new perspective. Upon receipt of the shipment of Cheeriodicals, our contacts from Mott Children’s actually snapped photos of the shipment (all 3 pallets of Cheeriodicals) in their receiving dock and shared them with us. They were so excited to receive this delivery of cheer for the kids that they couldn’t wait to send photos of the actual green boxes. Likewise, the Child Life Team from Children’s Hospital of Michigan sent photos of their staff posing with all their green boxes. It had been several years since our last delivery to this hospital and they were thrilled to receive the gifts to distribute to the kids during this time when the children are more isolated than ever.

Positive Distraction for Kids

Ordinarily, children’s hospitals are filled with family members and friends visiting patients, which provides a wonderful distraction for the children. Unfortunately, social distancing has forced most children’s hospitals to limit visitors, or in some cases prohibit visitors. C.S. Mott and Michigan Children’s Hospitals are no different. Child Life Specialists at both hospitals have shared with us how difficult it is now to keep children feeling positive while they are hospitalized. The children may not know or understand all the details of COVID-19, but even the younger children notice the new concern their parents have. They notice that perhaps for the first time, their parents are wearing a mask inside the room. Some children notice that their doctors and nurses are wearing personal protection equipment, an unsettling sight for some of the patients. This is why what Gale has done is so inspiring. At a time when these patients are scared, bored and feeling isolated, Gale is ensuring the children and their families know that they are not forgotten and that people in the community care about them.

“Thank you so much for this wonderful box! Ms.Maleah is almost 4 years old, fighting stage 4 Neuroblastoma cancer. She is going to be beyond excited to have this beautiful gift to open when she wakes upWe appreciate this beyond words!”

The gift boxes, filled with crafts, activity books, art supplies, puzzles, a stuffed animal and games, were designed to provide hours of entertainment for a child confined to a hospital room.  The hospitals refer to the Big Green Boxes of Cheer as a “positive distraction”. It’s what they use as a tool to interact with the children, convince them to allow a shot to be given, offer them something to occupy their mind and at times, calm their fears.  

Corporate Social Responsibility Matters!

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a company’s commitment to manage the social, environmental and economic effects of its operations responsibly and in line with public expectations. We would suggest however, that the definition of CSR should include a component that describes what companies choose to do when no one is watching. In this case, Gale wanted to deliver cheer when so many people wouldn’t notice, just the children, their families and the hospital staff. That’s the core of CSR – the unspoken baseline.

As Brian McDonough, Senior Vice President, North American Sales at Gale, told his colleagues about these children’s hospital deliveries, “This is what we do. This is what makes us Gale. This is what makes us Cengage. This is what makes us human.”

Brian McDonough, Senior Vice President, North American Sales

We are sending out a huge ‘thank you’ to Brian and the team at Gale! Your team truly inspires us.