FEARS CALMED BY PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT RESOURCE

Since 1930, the University of Chicago’s Department of Pediatrics has been responsible for the long range planning and development of all pediatric programs at the University of Chicago. Their physicians and scientists provide comprehensive, innovative medical care to over 150,000 children of all socio-economic backgrounds. However, state-of-the art healthcare is not the only things they strive for. These doctors want to provide programs to keep children’s minds off of being sick and to keep their minds and bodies active.

The University offers such programs to children of various age groups. However, since 97 percent of the children treated are on public assistance, funding can be limited. Spirit-lifting items such as toys, stuffed animals, party supplies, gift items, and clean clothes can be very hard to come by.

"Programs that provide a variety of things for children to see, hear and learn help to lift the children’s spirits,” says Arlene Timosciek, project assistant for the University of Chicago Department of Pediatrics.”The goal of our programs is to keep children’s minds off their woes.”

Resource To The Rescue

For the University of Chicago Department of Pediatrics to provide these programs and comforting items for the children, they had to look to a cost effective resource. Luckily, they found NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, a not-for-profit organization located in Galesburg, Illinois.

Since 1977, NAEIR has helped nonprofit organizations loosen their tight budgets through their membership program. NAEIR accepts donations of valuable, new, overstock inventory from U.S. businesses and redistributes those goods to its members, which include hospitals, schools, churches, municipalities, and other nonprofit organizations. Many of the over 9,500 members of NAEIR are in need of toys, games, and other activities for children, as well as office supplies, maintenance items, decorations and other necessities that will help improve the facilities as well as lives of those served.

There are over 7,000 American companies that have donated to NAEIR, earn a federal income tax deduction for their donations. This merchandise is sent to a 10-acre warehouse with over $100 million worth of inventory, located at NAEIR’s headquarters in Galesburg, Illinois. There, it is sorted, catalogued, and shipped to members.

Ins & Outs Of Membership

NAEIR members pay dues ranging from $495 to $595 per year, plus shipping and handling, and the merchandise itself is free. Once a member, organizations can request items from 200-page catalogs, special offer fliers, or an on-line site, NAEIR e-xpress, at www.naeir.org. Members are assigned a Membership Advocate who is there to assist the member in getting all they can from the membership. Each member must send in a request for items that their organization can use.

“Any materials that our members receive must be used for the care of ill, needy, or minors, and the goods cannot be bartered, traded, or sold,” explains Robert Gilstrap, vice president and chief financial officer of NAEIR. “Most of our catalogs have between 2,500 to 3,000 items available. Each catalog is different and based on what’s being donated.”

When catalog requests come in, NAEIR’s computerized system allocates products to each member. This is not a first come, first served system, so each member has the same chance at products that other members do. Allocations are normally ready three to six weeks after they are submitted. Members can either pick up the merchandise or have the allocation shipped directly to their facility for the full cost of shipping. However, the shipping and handling is all the organization would be responsible for.

Membership Rewards

The Department of Pediatrics has been using items from NAEIR for over four years now. They have brought smiles to children who are outpatients and those who may have extended stays in the hospital. The gift items are used for playtime, organized programs, and special occasions.

Toys from NAEIR are always appreciated. Sometimes, when a child has to go through a certain procedure, the nurses like to give them a toy or sticker to take their mind off the situation. Before NAEIR came along, the nurses had to spend their own money to purchase items like these.

Teddy bears and stuffed animals are special items for Emergency Room visitors. “Children are frightened when they come to the ER,” Timosciek says. “And, a soft friend to hug is always greatly appreciated.”

In one shipment, the Department of Pediatrics received “rubber ducky” earrings. A doctor took these earrings straight to the nursing staff to wear. “Everyone tries to do whatever they can to alleviate the fears of the children,” Timosciek states. “And if wearing rubber ducky earrings will help make children smile, that is what they will do!”

The children’s playroom at the hospital is filled with craft and toy items from NAEIR. If some children can’t make it to the playroom, items are brought right to the patient’s bed to help keep them in good spirits. “Children who are hospitalized appreciate the opportunity to play and just be a child,” Timosciek says. “We are always trying to get more toys from NAEIR to add to the assortment.”

Some of the goods received from NAEIR are also used for the department’s teen pregnancy program. This program helps many underprivileged, pregnant teens by partnering them with an older woman who counsels them through their pregnancy and helps them develop good parenting skills. At Christmastime, the girls are given a bag and they can “shop” for items for themselves or members of their family. The items they are shopping for all came from NAEIR.

“Most of these teens are very poor, so products provided by NAEIR, such as clothing, toiletries, cosmetics and gifts for family members are extremely appreciated,” says Timosciek. “We also received several jewelry sets from NAEIR that we are able to give to the teens after having their babies.”

The “Next Step” program provides help to those girls after they become mothers. This program helps with their self-esteem and counsels them to wait to have more children. “Next Step” uses NAEIR products like new clothes, toiletries, and makeup to help with their confidence.

The hospital also strives to teach children the importance of eating healthy, so there are programs available for them as well as their parents. The nutritionists like to give the child and parent something to celebrate the completion of the program. The gifts, gift bags, and wrapping paper all come from NAEIR.

The special occasions and holidays at the University of Chicago Department of Pediatrics are even more special with items from NAEIR. If they are able, children in the hospital during Halloween are taken trick-or-treating at the hospital offices and nurses’ stations. Costumes are provided by NAEIR as well as small gifts to ensure a happy Halloween.

According to Timosciek, they have a variety of costumes. “This year, we’ll have two Mr. Potato Heads, a variety of monsters from Star Wars, and several people from Lost in Space,” she says.

The Department of Pediatrics also needs party supplies and decorations for their holiday celebrations. The University of Chicago’s Early Development Disabilities program relies on NAEIR for those items. Any small victory for these developmentally delayed children deserves a party.

Many of the patients at the University of Chicago Children’s Hospital are at or below-poverty level so basic items are needed. Some of the children that come into the ER are dirty or have old, worn clothing. Nurses clean them up with clean clothes provided by NAEIR before they are released.

Programs such as an HIV educational program include young children all the way up to teen-agers. These children have very little of even everyday items. “They are grateful for a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo or anything that we can offer them,” Timosciek says. “We use NAEIR products to give these children as much as we can.”

Member Results

To get products for all of the programs, Timosciek passes the catalogs along to the heads of the many different children’s programs. Each department requests what they need, but Timosciek usually adds items to those long lists of requests. “We have such wide-ranging programs, that we can find a use for anything,” Timosciek states.

NAEIR has done so well for us. It is a wonderful thing!” exclaims Timosciek. “I truly appreciate how helpful my NAEIR Membership Advocate has been to us. She is always truly accommodating in every way.”

Because of their experiences with NAEIR, staff of the Department of Pediatrics often recommend NAEIR to other nonprofit organizations. Timosciek and other staff members recommend NAEIR to other programs they are a part of such as schools and churches. “We know that they could use the same items that we benefit from!”

According to Gary Smith, president and chief executive officer of NAEIR, “We have collected and redistributed over $2 billion worth of donated goods over the past 26 years, and many nonprofit organizations such as the University of Chicago Department of Pediatrics rely on NAEIR for supplementing reduced budgets. Our members receive an average of $18,000 worth of new supplies each year. which is roughly a 30-1 return on their dues investment.”

Smaller items may be overflowing, but NAEIR has had many items in great demand and short supply. Items such as fax machines, refrigerators, freezers, furnaces, matching office furniture sets, and vinyl flooring do make their way to NAEIR’s warehouse every now and again.

Norbert C. Smith, an airplane parts manufacturer and consultant, started NAEIR in 1977 after noticing how much excess inventory companies have. The tax laws had also just changed, letting corporations deduct twice the cost of unsold goods by donating them to a school or other nonprofit organization.

For more information on how your organization can become a member of the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, call 1-800-562-0955 or go to www.naeir.org.