Leveling Up: How a CCF Grant Transformed Patient Life at Cook Children’s
From the moment you walk in, Cook Children’s Medical Center in Prosper goes out of its way to avoid looking like a hospital.
Whimsical furniture, a two-story video board, longhorns hanging from the ceiling, and vibrant colors combine to give a calming, fun vibe to the pediatric hospital.
As Cook’s Child Life Specialist, Brookelynn Wetzel makes sure kids can still be kids with toys, games, and stuffed animals. But the hospital treats teenagers and young adults, too, who may not be interested in toys or coloring books.
“I can’t tell you how many times we get asked for a PlayStation and we didn’t have it,” Brookelynn said.
Enter Gamers Outreach, a Michigan nonprofit that has developed special gaming console stations for hospitals.
Bringing Joy and Normalcy
Through a CoServ Charitable Foundation (CCF) grant, Gamer’s Outreach donated a portable gaming station called a GO (Gamers Outreach) Kart to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Prosper. These roving gaming stations are specifically designed to be easily rolled around the hospital from room to room. The donated GO Kart was provided fully equipped with a monitor and PlayStation 5.
“It’s one of our most used things around here we’re so grateful for it,” Brookelynn said. “This is a great way to normalize the hospital and give them something they are used to doing at home.”
Mercy Hill smiled as her son, Jackson Cole, grabbed the controller and fired up the gaming console, just like he does at home. Jackson, 14, has an MRI scan coming up, but for now,
he’s just a kid playing a video game.
Who is Gamers Outreach?
Gamers Outreach now has more than 2,500 GO Karts in over 450 facilities in 13 different countries, said Walter Duccini, Managing Director for Gamers Outreach. The goal is to provide joy and normalcy to children while they’re at the hospital.
“Their faces just light up every time the GO Kart goes into the room,” Walter said.
Gamers Outreach also has an initiative called Player 2 where gaming enthusiasts can volunteer to play games with the patients at the hospital. Player 2 volunteers go through the same screening process as all hospital volunteers. It’s a great way for gamers to give back while sharing the experience with patients.
For more information, visit GamersOutreach.org.
CoServ Charitable Foundation awarded a grant to Gamers Outreach to fund a GO Kart that has been placed at the Cook Children’s Medical Center in Prosper.
Thank you for supporting Operation Roundup
None of this would be possible without you! Operation Roundup grants like this are funded by Members and Customers who round their bill up to the nearest dollar.
“Rounding up your bill costs a few cents per month but makes a huge impact for grants like this one to Gamers Outreach,” said Jennifer Ebert, CCF and Outreach Coordinator. “The gaming console will brighten the day for hundreds of children as they undergo life-saving treatment.”
Visit CoServ.com/CCF to learn more.
In addition to providing the CCF grant to Gamers Outreach, CoServ is proud to provide reliable electricity and natural gas to Cook Children’s Medical Center.