“I want to cut this ribbon in honor of Lucile Packard,” said Roth Auxiliary co-president Esther Ellis, standing before a bright red ribbon with giant red scissors to match. “More than 30 years ago, Lucile made a statement: I want this hospital to have a gift shop, and I want it to be run by volunteers. Well, we are now in Act Two of her vision.”
On September 4, with the clip of the scissors, the new Gift Shop officially opened in Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford’s Main building. The celebration recognized years of work to plan, construct, and fill the new space, which is four times the size of the previous Gift Shop in the West building. At the new shop you’ll find a lovingly curated selection of arts and craft supplies, games, hospital branded clothing, small artwork, jewelry, baby gifts, balloons, books, snacks, small electronic accessories and much more.
Every single purchase benefits patients at our hospital, including those whose families cannot afford the cost of their care.
“I started working with the first Gift Shop 30 years ago, and a lot has changed, but we all have something in common: we all love children,” said Roth Auxiliary member and head buyer Gloria Levin.
The volunteers enjoy the role they can play in brightening someone’s day.
“What you do here is incredibly important,” said interim hospital CEO Dennis Lund, MD, to the volunteers. “Just to be able to come get a card or a small gift is so important to our patient families. We want to honor all that you do.”
Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer Kelly M. Johnson, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, added, “I can speak for myself, I come here and get gifts for friends. And the volunteers are always so supportive for families whose children are very sick and don’t feel like they can leave the hospital. This gives them a chance to get out of the room and find something nice.”
Since its founding in 1991, our Gift Shop has been managed by the Roth Auxiliary members. Their gifts of time and talent mean that all proceeds from the shop are given to the hospital. The group says they take great pride in knowing that their efforts have provided more than $2 million in donations to the hospital and our patient families.
In addition to the more than 60 active Roth Auxiliary members, a number of other community members support the day-to-day activities of the shop. Volunteer Lynne Glendenning hosts “Lynne Days” where she volunteers her time hand-painting and personalizing gifts purchased at the store.
The new Gift Shop is located on the first floor of the Main building, to the left of the entrance to the Dunlevie Garden. The hours are Sunday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Holidays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can reach Roth volunteers during shop hours at (650) 497-8596 if you need help finding the perfect gift.
Thank you to all our dedicated Roth Auxiliary members. We are so thrilled for this new chapter in your group’s history and are so grateful for all you do for our patients, families, and team members.
