Toy/Book Giving Guidelines

Phoenix Children's Hospital accepts items generously donated for our patients throughout the calendar year. Items are distributed by our Child Life staff according to gender and developmental age on a daily basis.  All patients at Phoenix Children's Hospital receive a gift of a toy, book or other appropriate item during their visit. 

We are especially grateful for toy and item donations during the Holiday season.  Due to the volume of donations during this time, some additional guidelines apply. 

During the Holiday season, toys are distributed by our Child Life staff through a program called Toyland.  Unwrapped, new toys are collected, sorted by developmental stages and displayed.  Parents of patients are given the opportunity to be involved in the process and are invited to shop for presents for their children.  Volunteers will be on hand to gift wrap toys once they are selected.  If parents or family members are unable to attend the Toyland, Child Life representatives will select and deliver toys to patients admitted at that time.  Every child admitted to the Hospital over the Holiday will receive a toy.  Any toy donations that are not distributed help sustain our ability to give toys to children in the Hospital throughout the year.

If you are considering making a donation of toys or other items from our Hospital wish list, please adhere to the following guidelines created to assist you and to ensure that your items will be delivered to patients in the most organized and expedient manner possible.

Thank you for considering making a difference for children and families facing serious illness or injury.  Your donations help us bring smiles to children's faces on a daily basis.

Download Guidelines and Donation Form

General Guidelines:

1|  Based on regulations surrounding Infection Control, all donated toys/items must be new and in the original packaging.  Used toys/items cannot be given to patients at Phoenix Children's.  Please do not wrap toys.

2|  To determine the type of items to collect please refer to the Hospital Wish List.  These are items that are most desired by patients in the Hospital. 

3|  Donations of gift cards to retail centers in increments of $5.00 or $10.00 are preferred and greatly appreciated.  With new construction on the Hospital campus storage space for toys/items is limited.  Gift cards will be distributed to families to purchase specific toys/items preferred by their children.

4|  Please refrain from donating the following items:

• Play guns or war toys
• Latex balloons due to the choking hazard and potential allergic reactions
• Scary action figures
• Candy, gum, or other food – many patients are on restricted diets based on their diagnosis

5|  Toy drives must comply with all relevant laws, including the laws of the State of Arizona

What you need to do:

1|  Submit a signed copy of the Toy Donation Agreement to the Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation via email or fax: (602) 546-2644

2|  Upon completion of your drive, deliver the items to the Hospital based on the following instructions

3|  With the delivery of items, complete and submit the Toy Donation Form so we may track and acknowledge your generous gift

Delivery Instructions(Year Round):

Due to current construction on our main campus, we ask that you please call in advance of delivering items to the Hospital. 

Please contact our Child Life Department at (602) 546-0742 to obtain the most current instructions on where and when to drop off items.

Donations will be accepted at the Main Hospital Campus on the Second and Fourth Wednesday of each month for the calendar year from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

Holiday Deliveries:

Donations for Toyland will be accepted December 9 – 23 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week 

9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Delivery Locations:

December 9 - 17, 2008  

Storage PODS will be available on the west side of main entrance

December 18 - 23, 2008        

The Rosenberg Medical Plaza, Mel Cohen Conference Room

Volunteers and staff members will be on site to assist with accepting deliveries.  If you need to make arrangements outside of these days/times, please call the Child Life Department at (602) 546-0742.

Planning a Special Event for Toy Collections:

If you are hosting a special event to collect toys/items only and do not anticipate any monetary donations, please adhere to the basic guidelines on this site.

Events should promote an appropriate image and be sensitive to the PCH Mission and its position as a charitable organization for children's healthcare.  Information promoting a toy drive event should state that "Donations will benefit Phoenix Children's Hospital".

The Phoenix Children's Hospital logo is a registered trademark and cannot legally be reproduced without permission from the hospital.  The Foundation must review all promotional materials utilizing the PCH logo and name (including press releases, public service announcements, scripts, poster, invitations, etc.) before they are used.   For approval, please contact the Foundation via email or phone: (602) 546-2650.

If circumstances warrant, Phoenix Children's Hospital, may at any time through any of its directors, officers, senior administrators, or Foundation, direct you to cancel the event.  You hereby agree to cancel the event, if so directed, and further agree to release Phoenix Children's Hospital, the Foundation, and its officers, directors, and employees from any and all liability and connection to any such action.

If you will also be collecting monetary donations and plan to publicly promote your event utilizing Phoenix Children's Hospital name, likeness or brand, please contact the Foundation Special Events Department via email or phone: (602) 546-2669.  These events require approval and written permission from the Foundation. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q|  I have stuffed toys that have never been used but have been on display in my home.  Can you accept these toys?

A|  Unfortunately, unless the items have been stored in airtight containers, we are unable to accept items that are not new and in the original packaging. 

Q|  I would like to personally deliver my donations to patients in the Hospital.  Is that possible?

A|  Due to the fragile state of our patients and to protect them from exposure to additional illness, we do not encourage groups to personally deliver items directly to the patients.   During the winter months we restrict visitation due to respiratory illness. Children under the age of 12 are restricted from visiting the Hospital during this time.

On occasion we do have special visitors in the Hospital from local celebrities and athletes to entertainment characters and performers.  Special visitors are screened and scheduled by our Child Life Department.  Please contact Wendy Pauker, (602) 546-2128 with any questions or to arrange a visit or performance.

General Visitor Guidelines:

• Visitors must be at least 16 years old to interact with patients in any activity
• Visitors may not bring candy or food to patients
• No Santas. We have ONE Santa that comes in on Christmas Day
• No religious presentations or religious choral groups
• Cameras are not permitted without prior authorization and arrangements through the Communication Department, (602) 546-5871.

Q|  We would like to Adopt a Family for the Holidays.  Do you have an Adopt-A-Family Program?

A|  At this time we are recommending all donations be directed to the Toyland project.

Holiday Decoration Donations

Patients and families enjoy seasonal decorations all year long. It is especially appreciated during the November and December holidays. Please follow the guidelines below when making donations of decorations to the hospital.

• We are not able to accept donations on loan. (An exception may be made for large decorations for tower or building fronts.).
• Location of displays will be decided by the decorating committee.
• The decorations should not be made of flammable materials.
• Be aware that wreathes and other decorations can have small pieces that can easily be removed and become a choking hazard.

The following decorations are not acceptable:

• Latex balloons
• Live trees or plants (Cut flowers are acceptable in certain areas). The exception is for donations to be used outside. Please see wishlist below.
• Candles or any open flame
• Crepe paper - burns rapidly
• Electrical lights on any decoration
• Small items that could pose a choking hazard
• Glass ornaments

The hospital is in need of holiday decorations, especially for the exterior of the buildings. Please contact the facilities manager, (602) 546-1562, with any questions or to arrange delivery of any of the following items.

• 1-2 large cut trees for front of hospital
• Extra-large wreath or other giant light display for the tower or roof of main hospital building
• Large wreaths or light displays for entrance to Outpatient building
• Over-sized wreaths representing the various observations of the holidays (e.g. Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza, etc.) to hang in the Light Tower
• Character cut-outs or trees for the PICU gardens.
• Exterior lighting
• Lighted trees, deers, etc.
• Extension cords
• Timers
• Ornaments (Please remember, no glass and no small items.)