By Lee Davis
The magic of Christmas can come in all sorts of ways.
At Children’s of Alabama, it’s something as simple as the Sugar Plum Shop.
Established six years ago, the shop was created for patients and their families who must spend the holidays at the hospital. A toy store is built and operated within the hospital’s walls for a few days before Christmas, giving parents the opportunity to Christmas-shop for their hospitalized children and siblings totally free of charge.
The shop, presented by Regions Bank, is operated by hospital staff, corporate partners and community volunteers and is funded by donations of toys and money.
“Once again we are being blessed by the community,” said Jennifer Deneke, director of family services at Children’s. “This is a great way to empower families to be able to provide Christmas gifts for our in-hospital patients that otherwise might not be able to do so.”
The idea for the Sugar Plum Shop came from a Children’s staff member, according to Deneke. “One person came up with the idea, and from there it spread to the blessing the shop has become,” she said.
Deneke said each child receives at least five gifts in addition to a book, a stuffed animal and a family board game. More than 500 children have benefited from the Sugar Plum Shop each year.
The shop is made up of three rooms. The first is the Toy Store, where toys are placed in sections by age-appropriateness and where parents can shop. A second room is the Red Ribbon Wrapping Room, where volunteers wrap the gifts.
“Parents can choose which gifts they would like to have wrapped and which ones can be unwrapped gifts from Santa Claus,” Deneke said.
A third room is the Candy Cane Café, where parents can enjoy a snack and take a respite from their daily routine.
The stories of parents who were able to provide Christmas gifts to their children because of the Sugar Plum Shop are endless, Deneke said.
“There (was) a dad who had prepared his children for the possibility that Santa might not be able to come on Christmas Day and would have to come later,” she recalled. “The man was in tears when he learned that because of the Sugar Plum Shop, his children would have gifts to open on Christmas.”
There are also parents who, because of the financial burden of medical expenses, couldn’t afford to provide Christmas gifts for their children.
“We couldn’t do it without the support of the community,” Deneke said. “Not just from the Birmingham area, but from the entire state.”
Deneke said Children’s has a special relationship with the people of Alabama. “Obviously nobody wants to have their child come to Children’s, but they appreciate the fact that it’s there if they need it,” she explained. “And because of their generosity, we have been able to do some good things.”
Popular items on the shop’s wish list include arts and crafts supplies, infant and toddler items, electronic toys, action figures, dolls, train sets, building blocks and many more, including wrapping supplies. For more ideas on gifts, go to www.foundation.childrensal.org/wishlist.
Donations can be dropped off Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. -9:30 p.m. and on holidays and weekends from 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. in the Children’s of Alabama lobby, at 1600 7th Ave. South. All donations should be received by Dec. 18.
The Christmas season can be a sad time for a child in the hospital. But thanks to the Sugar Plum Shop and its supporters, there truly is a Santa Claus.
