Boy spends allowance on toys for hospitalized children

Being in the hospital can be boring, especially for children who are unable to get out of bed for extended periods. Eight-year-old Kaden Strickler wanted to help provide activities for kids who are hospitalized and unable to play.

“One day we were walking home and I thought donating toys would be fun and I wanted to see how it would make me feel, and how it would make the kids feel,” Strickler said. “The hospital is a place where a lot of kids are, and they might be sad without anything to do.”

Strickler saved up his allowance to purchase coloring books, crayons, colored pencils, paints, and activity books for the children staying in the Pediatric unit at Kootenai Health.

“It has been a dream of mine to make a substantial donation to an organization like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” his mother, Nancy Strickler, said. “I think he has heard me talk about that and it planted a seed. I was very touched when he told us he wanted to do this.”

Strickler’s donation is now housed in Andrea’s Closet, a toy chest on the pediatric unit full of donated toys and activities for patients to enjoy. To learn more about Andrea’s Closet, or to donate, visit the Kootenai Health Foundation website or call (208) 625-4438.