The Compassion Fund allows frontline social workers to identify needs and distribute funds immediately, providing much-needed relief for families. If you and your family are experiencing a long hospital stay with your critically ill child at Blank Children's Hospital, ChildServe, Mary Greeley Medical Center, or MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center in central Iowa, or Mercy Medical Center or UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's Hospital in eastern Iowa, please reach out to your social worker or nurse to access Variety’s Compassion Fund.
Variety partners with Iowa hospitals to help critically ill children and their families by providing comfort, care, and fulfilling immediate needs, such as:
- A gas card for frequent travel to appointments
- Meals for a parent who spends weeks at the hospital
- Payment of immediate bills, such as phone, heat, or electricity
- A birthday cake for a child who will spend their special day in a hospital bed
- Care for siblings when parents need to stay with their ill child
Meet Evelyn and Benjamin
They were born at 32 weeks and spent three weeks in the NICU. The Compassion Fund stepped in to help their family during their stay.
“The Compassion Fund really made us feel like people cared and were thinking of us while we were focusing on the babies getting stronger so they could come home. My husband commuted to see me and the babies every night, an hour round trip. The gift helped with paying for gas. We were also able to order some last-minute items we needed for the babies when we all got home. We are so blessed with these two babies (now infants/toddlers) and we feel so lucky to have been a recipient of the Compassion Fund!”
Jennifer, mom of Evelyn and Benjamin
“At UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's Hospital we use our Variety SleepSacks consistently once a baby moves to an open crib. These SleepSacks help the baby maintain body temperature better than blankets, which can often cause overheating, as well as provide the feeling of comfort swaddling brings. The SleepSack also helps us model safe sleep practices for parents.”
Jenny Haverly, St. Luke’s Children’s Center Pediatrics/NICU supervisor
Every donation, large and small, helps provide relief and hope to families seeking care.
