200 Children and Their Families Assisted by Generous Gift Card Donation

The Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (www.thevisioncenteratchla.org) announced that more than 200 families have benefited from a unique gift card program that began earlier this year. The gift cards have enabled these families, all of whose children have serious eye problems and are treated at The Vision Center, to make purchases from Vons, McDonalds, Walgreen’s and ARCO gas stations. Some families have been provided Metro tokens.

"The cards really made a big difference to our quality of life while our son was recovering from his surgeries," said Stephanie Smitley, mother of Timothy, 14. The family traveled from Minneapolis, Minn., to The Vision Center so Timothy could undergo four eye surgeries for a detached retina in his one healthy eye. “The gift cards were distributed in an effort to assist families with transportation costs, food and prescriptions,” said Amanda Hedlund, marketing specialist for The Vision Center.

The gift card program was initiated after the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Foundation Department received a $10,000 donation from an anonymous donor designated to help The Vision Center families. The gift cards were conveniently selected so families could stay in or near the hospital during their child’s eye treatment. The hospital is located at Sunset Boulevard and Vermont Avenue in Hollywood.

Hedlund noted that families temporarily relocate when their child needs comprehensive and immediate attention to save their child’s sight. She said, “ In some cases, families may need to stay as long as a month or more to attend to post-surgery care and follow-up visits.”

To date, the cards have enabled families to purchase eye patches, bus rides, meals at the local McDonalds and gasoline to help with driving expenses.

The Vision Center would like to continue the gift card program for patient families. Individuals or corporations wishing to donate to The Vision Center should contact Kristin Bell at the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Foundation Department by calling (323) 361-1719 or through the website at www.thevisioncenteratchla.org.

The Vision Center and the Foundation also welcome companies or stores wishing to contribute gift cards directly to the program.

About The Vision Center – “Where all eye conditions receive extraordinary care.”

The Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is an international referral center known for its family friendly environment of children afflicted with all forms of eye disease and provides a full range of inpatient and outpatient services. It is the largest pediatric ophthalmology program in the nation with multiple subspecialty programs that are considered to be among today’s finest resources for diagnosis, treatment and research.

Founded in 1901, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles has been treating the most seriously ill and injured children in Los Angeles for more than a century, and it is acknowledged throughout the United States and around the world for its leadership in pediatric and adolescent health. Childrens Hospital is one of America’s premier teaching hospitals, affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California since 1932.   The Saban Research Institute of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is among the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. 

Since 1990, U.S. News & World Report and its panel of board-certified pediatricians have named Childrens Hospital Los Angeles one of the top pediatric facilities in the nation. Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is one of only 10 children’s hospitals in the nation – and the only children’s hospital on the West Coast – ranked in all 10 pediatric specialties in the U.S. News & World Report rankings and named to the magazine’s “Honor Roll” of children’s hospitals.