Keeping the Games Going with the Ace Hardware Foundation

Here at Oishei Children’s Hospital (OCH), we know as much as anyone that a fun game, activity or craft can do wonders to get your mind off of your worries. In fact, it’s been found that distractions like gaming can even reduce pain scores for patients during medical procedures like blood draws or other testing.

Our Child Life Team is happy to bring our gaming cart around the different floors of the hospital to help patients relieve stress or boredom, or as a tool to assist in rehabilitation or physical therapy. In the past, gaming has even been used as a teaching tool for patients about to receive a procedure or to learn more about a disorder or illness.

We’re lucky that many organizations find the value in providing gaming and other activities to our patients – organizations like the Ace Hardware Foundation. As a member of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN), Ace Hardware stores across the nation support local CMN hospitals just like OCH. Our local Ace Hardware stores have participated in Round Up for KIDS, the Miracle Bucket promotion, made donations through the ACE Helping Hands Program and so much more. And now, they’ve shown amazing commitment towards the gaming program through Child Life.

We’re happy to announce that OCH was selected as one of 38 projects being funded by Ace Foundation this year! This $10,000 donation will be put towards purchasing another gaming cart to be used in the hospital, expanding the volume of patients able to game out their stress.

Thank you to the Ace Hardware Foundation and our local stores for supporting the kids at OCH!