Smithtown Senior Citizens Center Employees donate Teddy Bears to Children spending Christmas in the Pediatric Unit at St Charles Hospital
Smithtown NY: The team at the Smithtown Senior Citizens Center delivered approximately 50 teddy bears to St Catherine’s of Siena today. From there, they will make their journey to St Charles Hospital Pediatrics unit, where each will find a home next to a young child spending Christmas in a hospital bed this year. A Town employee, who has asked to remain anonymous, wanted to donate the brand new teddy bears on behalf of the entire team at Smithtown’s Senior Citizens Department as a means of paying it forward. St Catherine’s of Siena Community Outreach Coordinator, Mary Ellen McCrossen, worked with the Town of Smithtown to coordinate the special delivery.
“We often take the health of ourselves and our families for granted. Our team at the Senior Center has a unique outlook on life, as they care for every center member as they would their own family… They take our seniors to the doctors office, to shop for groceries and they check in on each of them daily on the phone. They see how precious life truly is. I commend the entire team at the senior center, led by recently appointed Doreen Perrino. This is a very special way to bring holiday cheer to some very worthy boys and girls.” - Supervisor Ed Wehrheim
Members of the Smithtown Senior Center staff delivered the 50 gift wrapped teddy bears to St Catherine’s of Siena at approximately 10am today. The gifts were received by Lisa Mulvey, Executive Director at St. Charles Hospital Foundation at Catholic Health Services. Mulvey will deliver the Teddy Bears to the pediatrics unit on Christmas Eve.