Pediatric Support Services
Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy
Child life donations
Thank you for your interest in donating to the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Program at UC Davis Children’s Hospital. Your gifts provide support for our patients during their hospitalization.
Gift cards
Want to maximize your donation? Gift cards allow our staff to purchase specific items for our patients when they need them most. Gift cards can also be given to patients as birthday gifts and procedure-related prizes, letting the patients choose their own items!
Our top gift card choices are Amazon and Target in increments of $15-25.
Wish lists
Our wish list includes high priority items that are most needed for patient care and comfort. These items are hand-selected by our staff based on current needs and ease-of-use in the hospital.
Care kits
When patients and families are missing the comforts of home, these kits can give them a few minutes of distraction or relaxation. Consider organizing a group for a fun and rewarding project.
Handmade donations
We accept the following handmade items as donations:
- Infant and fleece-tie blankets
- Quilts
- Pillowcases
We are no longer able to accept donations of knitted or crocheted items.
Child life donation funds
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Child Life Program Fund
Donate to the Child Life FundYour gift will be used to purchase supplies such as education and art materials, musical instruments and toys to support children impacted by these experiences. Funds are also used to provide play materials for use at each child’s bedside and activities for the teen and children play spaces throughout the hospital.
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Child Life Facility Dog Program Fund
Donate to the Facility Dog FundYour gift to the UC Davis Children’s Hospital facility dog program will help support the care of our facility dogs, Huggie, Paloma, ZeeBee and Danny. Your donations will help pay for their medical care, food, grooming, supplements and supplies to keep them healthy, happy and ready to support our kids in need. Your gifts will also help us maintain and expand the facility dog program, as we plan to add another facility dog in the future.
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Child Life Art Therapy Fund
Donate to the Art Therapist FundHelp support pediatric patients and their families in the hospital and outpatient clinics express themselves through art. Alongside a trained art therapist, patients use self-expression and art making to explore loss, promote self-esteem, build autonomy, and cultivate developmentally appropriate coping skills. Your generous donation would help continue build this program and expand its services to more individuals in need.
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Child Life Music Therapy Program Fund
Donate to the Music Therapy Program FundHelp support pediatric patients and their families in the hospital express themselves through music. Alongside a board-certified music therapist, patients use self-expression and music making to meet their physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs. Generous donations help fund resources and expand the music therapy program’s free services.
Donating to UC Davis Children’s Hospital
We are grateful for donations from the community. The following video provides guidelines on what can and cannot be accepted.
Donation guidelines Q & A
No. Due to patient privacy and infection control policies, you will not be able to deliver your gifts directly to patients. Our staff will ensure that your gifts are distributed appropriately.
No. Due to infection control policies and allergen guidelines, we cannot accept any used or previously owned items. This includes stuffed animals and toys that have only been on display or part of private collections.
All donated items must be brand-new and still in original packaging and/or with original tags.
Items that do not meet these guidelines will be redirected to another charity.
Yes. Please complete a Donor Intent Form and bring it with you to your scheduled donation drop off. This form will be used to generate a tax receipt and acknowledgement of your donation on behalf of UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
Items purchased from our Amazon wish list will ship directly to our hospital, eliminating the need to schedule a physical drop off.
Otherwise, to schedule a curbside drop-off of donated items, please email katmacdonald@ucdavis.edu.
All donation deliveries must be scheduled in advance between Monday through Friday during normal business hours. We are unable to schedule donation deliveries on the weekend.
Please note that we are unable to pick up donated items.