Children’s Hospital Foundation raises over €37 million in 25 years

The Children’s Hospital Foundation has raised more than €37 million in donations over 25 years, LSM reported. The money has helped thousands of children, funded the reconstruction of the Parents’ House and Oncology Department, and supported the construction of an Ambulatory Health Centre and an Emergency Care Centre, along with other projects.

The foundation marked its anniversary on Saturday with the “Healthy Together” family day in Victory Park.

The event featured games, a prize wheel, creative workshops where visitors could make gifts for hospital patients and souvenirs for themselves, as well as stories and lectures on sleep and family relationships.

Therapy dogs attracted particular interest. The specially trained dogs help young patients recover and can also support physiotherapy and rehabilitation exercises.

Canine therapist Ričards Pavlovskis, who attended with two white Samoyeds, said the dogs visit the Children’s Hospital twice a week and work with patients in different departments.

“When young patients are struggling and no longer want to do anything, a white, fluffy friend arrives, and their motivation changes completely,” Pavlovskis said.

He said that if a child finds it difficult to get up because of an illness, the desire to reach the dog can motivate the child to make the effort. Similarly, feeding a dog with a spoon can encourage a child who has difficulty eating to pick up a spoon.

The foundation’s welfare programmes can be supported through donations, while the anniversary event offered visitors a better understanding of why such programmes are needed.

Foundation board chairwoman Liene Dambiņa said the organisation had been able to achieve so much over 25 years thanks to donors. She added that donations were continuing to grow as society recognised that children’s health was a shared responsibility.

Last year, the foundation raised more than €10 million, its largest annual total to date.