Luis Arias for Unsplash
Dallas-based Integrity Marketing Group, distributor of life and health insurance, and provider of wealth management and retirement planning solutions, collected more than 16,000 toys, stuffed animals and books for children’s hospitals nationwide during its 2022 toy drive. More than 10,000 of the donated toys went to Dallas’ Children’s Health.
Integrity staffers — including Integrity’s co-founder CEO Bryan W. Adams and managing partner Shane VanLoon — say personal experiences with their own children inspired their participation.
“[My own family] saw the impact getting a new toy had on our son, and it was actually his idea to collect more toys to share that experience with other children,” Adams says in a press release. “When you’re in the hospital, it can be overwhelming — not only for the child patient, but the entire family. The joy that a toy brings into the room plays an important role in the care those children receive.”
Asher Adams had the toy-drive idea. Via Integrity video.
Adds VanLoon, “While my daughter was in the hospital, she was the recipient of a toy donated by a generous individual, just like our employees have done. That simple act of receiving a new toy brought her a spark of happiness during a very difficult time. It allowed her to take her mind off the tough things she was going through. The toys donated today will help thousands of children in similar situations.”
This year, the largest recipient of the Integrity Gives Back initiative was Children’s Health (located near Integrity’s Shared Services office in Dallas), which received more than 10,000 donated items.
Pediatric patients are given a toy or stuffed animal for a variety of reasons, including celebrating treatment milestones or birthdays, or to lift them up during their stay in the hospital, according to a press release. These items help comfort the children, and they are often used to help educate the patients on procedures they may be facing through simulations on a stuffed animal, helping to ease fears and inspire confidence during treatments.
Bottom line, a toy will help a child who has to be hospitalized have a better experience, Children’s president Brent Christopher says.
Last year, Integrity’s Dallas-based employees had a goal to collect 500 toys, which they exceeded by collecting more than 3,000. The success led Integrity to expand its toy collection efforts nationwide, with 6,000 employees in 200 partner offices joining the drive. It resulted in the collection of more than 16,000 donated toys.
“It’s moments like these that make me so proud to be a part of the Integrity family,” VanLoon concludes. “Seeing all of us come together in this way is an inspiration. We’re not only professing our core values, but we’re living them.”
