Jennifer Rice photo
Laborers’ Local 149 donated several boxes of toys to Provena Mercy Medical Center. (From left) Mike Bivens, Local 149 president; George Einhorn, president/CEO of Provena Mercy Medical Center; Dan Brejc, business manager for LIUNA Local 149 and Susan Mennenga, Provena Mercy Medical Center Foundation executive director, show some of the gifts children will receive.

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
When children are taken to the emergency room or admitted to the pediatric center at Provena Mercy Medical Center, some are frightened and timid. For most, it may be the first time they are not sleeping in their own bed.
One way to ease their fear and to comfort them is with a toy. With the help of Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 149, children will now rest a little easier. This week, the union donated six large boxes of toys to the hospital.
“This is our fifth year gathering toys for the hospital,” said Business Manager for LIUNA Local 149 Dan Brejc. He said for two months, union members donated toys and placed them in boxes that were located at the labor hall. Members of LIUNA’s district council also donated toys for the cause.
Mike Bivens, director of organizing, Great Lakes Regional Organizing Committee told the hospital that along with the donated toys, some union members donated subscriptions to magazines and several teenage books.
The large amount of toys collected by the laborers and other organizations will last the hospital for almost a year said Jane Byrd, administrative assistant for the Provena Mercy Medical Center Foundation (PMMCF).
“The laborers’ have been so generous with us over the past five years,” Byrd said. “It’s especially comforting for a child who is in the emergency room to get a toy. It really helps calm them down,” she explained.
Toys are also given to siblings of children who are admitted to the hospital, as they may become bored after hours in the hospital. PMMCF Executive Director Susan Mennenga said toys also are given to children who act as a translator for a sick or ailing family member.
“A lot of times, we see a child or teenager who is the translator. The nurses can see how hard they are working and want to acknowledge their hard work in helping the family and our staff,” Mennenga said.
Year after year, as individuals continue to struggle in this economy, they still find it within themselves to help others, an act that doesn’t go unnoticed by the hospital. “People continue to step up to the plate and help. It’s really amazing,” said President/CEO of Provena Mercy Medical Center George Einhorn.
Mennenga said gift sizes may have gotten a bit smaller over the years, but the amount of gifts given to the hospital remains the same. “It just shows to us the investment the community has in the work we do here at Mercy, to make sure it’s a healthier community,” she said.

Jennifer Rice’s e-mail address is Jen@foxvalleylabornews.com.