Five Cloverbuds, age 7 and under, and 4-H members, age 8 and up, visited
the Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital’s Emergency department to donate
“stuffies” and $205 for helmets.
Five-year-old Madeline Farrenburg was the spokesperson on behalf of the
Cloverbuds.
“We are donating stuffies because when I get scared my kitty calms
me down and in the emergency department kids my age get scared, so stuffies
can help them,” she said. “We are giving these stuffies to
the emergency department because lots of kids come here when they get
hurt. Also, our friend hit his head and had to get stitches. We raised
money to buy helmets for kids to protect them from head injuries.”
All seven of the children visiting had been to the emergency department
at least once and received comfort items of a stuffed animal and blankets.
All confirmed that the items helped to comfort them.
Jen Bush, department manager of the emergency department, accepted the
stuffed animals and the donation.
“We are very excited, with this donation we can purchase 30 to 40
all-purpose helmets,” Bush said.
Susie Kraft, 4-H Cloverbud leader, said the partnership with the hospital
increased their gift.
“This is great because we did a lot of research and could only purchase
four or five helmets with the money,” Kraft said.
Bush explained that MDMH has connections with other hospitals that have
helmet programs and because of the volume of helmets that are purchased,
they can buy more for less money.
The helmets will be kept in the Marcus Daly Emergency Department for children
admitted with injuries that could be related to a sport that warrants
a helmet like skateboarding, biking and horseback riding.
Bush said that helmets need to be kept in perfect condition.
“If your helmet cracks it is important to replace it with a new helmet,”
she said. “There are multi-sport helmets for those kids that are
into all kinds of activities. Those are the helmets we will have in the
emergency department, along with stuffed animals and blankets. They really
help to calm our pediatric patients.”
Kraft said the donation efforts made a great 4-H project.
“It is important for the kids to give back and they all have visited
the emergency department,” she said. “It is exciting for us
to be here during hospital week, donating to the emergency department.
I have been here for a number of emergencies, one just last weekend. We
were in and out within 40 minutes. It is really magical, especially when
it is with your child.”
The youth raised money with a silent auction on Facebook and are thankful
to AutoZone, Kmart and community members who donated items for the auction.
Bush said the hospital appreciates the donations.
“We are so appreciative of the support,” Bush said. “It
is really neat that the kids wanted to make this donation to us. This
is a reflection on the parents and the 4-H Club, teaching children at
a young age to be safe and give back. They could have been fundraising
for themselves, instead they gave to us. It speaks volumes for our community.
“Head injuries are very dangerous and very preventable,” she
continued. “Put your helmet on and encourage others to do so. Working
together we can prevent this type of accident in our community.”
To donate towards helmets visit
mdmh.org/give and in the comment section write “ED — bike helmets”
or call the Daly Hospital Foundation at 406-375-4674.