Brony Book Drive for Harbor UCLA Child Life and Arcade Meet!

It's been a while (last December) since we came together to help out a worthy cause and spread of that love and kindness that this show imparts upon us, I figured that we're due for another round of generosity with a bunch of fun on the side!

I know of an organization that could really use some help, and that is Harbor UCLA Medical Center Pediatrics - Child Life Services; or just UCLA Child Life, for short. This organization works to help normalize the hospital environment for children being treated at the hospital. Child Life specialists help to ease a child's fear and anxiety through therapeutic and recreational play, and they are in need of some help in the form of donations.

Some of the things they are in need of are: coloring books, crayons, markers, colored pencils, children's/teen's books, magazines, crossword puzzle books, sudoku puzzle books, just to name a few. They would appreciate all kinds of toys, but for this meetup, I'd like to focus on the books/crayons/markets/art supplies in particular. And they do not have to be brand-new items either! Just make sure they are clean/dusted off/wiped down or take a second to give your dull crayons/colored pencils a quick sharpening before you donate. All donations can be new or gently used. If you did a little spring cleaning this year and found some old books or art supplies you were going to throw out anyways, would you consider donating them to Child Life instead?

UCLA Child Life is in need of other donations too, including: board games, card games, CDs, DVDs, puzzles, baby rattles, arts and crafts sets, matchbox cars, Fisher Price toys, dolls... basically anything that can engage and entertain the kids at their bedside or in the waiting rooms of the hospital. You could even donate pony toys too! If you want, that is. The only restriction is no cloth toys or stuffed animals. All the toys must be able to be sanitized and wiped down. I have a complete list of all the things that Child Life has on their wishlist, so if anyone would like to take a look at that, let me know and I'll send a copy your way.

As for location; it will be held at the International Boardwalk in Redondo Beach, parking isn't too expensive, there are lots of places to eat in, stores to shop at, a pier to stroll along, and an arcade to play at too, complete with a Tilt-a-Whirl ride. We'll meeting in front of the arcade, Redondo Fun Factory, and I'll be wearing my Rainbow Dash cosplay and bringing an empty box to drop your donations into (you're welcome to come in cosplay too, if you wish). Bring your quarters!

But wait, there's more! To sweeten the deal, I will also be holding a raffle the day of the meetup, with the prize being a set of 4 brand-new My Little Pony storybooks and a Jumbo coloring book. To enter, all you have to do is simply bring a item for donation, and you'll receive a ticket for the drawing.

UPDATE 1: Here's the website for Child Life Services: http://harborpeds.org/advocacy/clinicalprograms/childlife in case you are interested in learning more.

UPDATE 2: Here's a webpage that will give you some basic driving directions to the Boardwalk/Pier and the Fun Factory. http://www.redondo.com/rff/directions/ If you get lost, please be aware that I do not have a smartphone with the Meetup.com App, so I can't answer anyone's questions about location or directions if you post here in the comments section, because I'll never see them!