SALISBURY TOWNSHIP. Pa, — The young patients at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital received a sweet visit Wednesday.
The Peeps chick stopped in for a special celebration.
“I saw Peeps, I got chocolate, I got socks of Peeps, and I saw a big Peep, and it was fun,” said 8-year-old Brayden Gomez. He is a patient at the hospital and joined in on the fun with his mom Jennifer.
“I'm very happy. Everything is wonderful,” said Brayden’s mom.
Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital marked its 12th birthday with Peeps.
“A giant Peep just stormed into my room and just, you know, kind of did a few dance moves,” exclaimed 14-year-old Jeremy Siegfried, who is also a patient.
Bethlehem-based Just Born Quality Confections teamed up with the hospital to celebrate and liven the mood.
“We're so excited to be a part of the celebration and bring sweetness by having the mascot come around to hand out candy, just to make sure that the kids in our community feel loved and seen,” said Meg Dowd, corporate affairs manager with Just Born.
“It's so important to partner with Reilly Children's Hospital because they're such a pillar in the community."Meg Dowd, Corporate Affairs Manager, Just Born Quality Confections
“It's so important to partner with Reilly Children's Hospital, because they're such a pillar in the community,” she said.
“Having children's hospitals is something that makes our community really unique. We're so blessed in this area to have amazing health care opportunities and options, and the hospital specifically for children just really highlights that to a maximum.”
Trish Dilg is a child life activities coordinator for the hospital.
“We love local. We love companies that support our hospital, our community. We love seeing it, so we're really glad to partner with them,” she said.
Dilg explained that character events make the hospital stay a little less daunting for the pediatric patients.
“Things like this make such a difference in the day. It makes things a little, a little more bright and not only lifts the spirits of the children, but also the families, and we love to see it, and you can even see as they walk through, even the staff gets excited. So it really is a benefit for everyone.”
Just Born not only sent the Peeps chick and Peepmobile, but some snacks and swag as well.
“We're thrilled to be here, thrilled to support it, and we hope that we bring a little color and fun and sweetness to the day,” said Dowd.
Just Born also parked the Peeps car out front at the Cedar Crest facility and handed out goodies to those coming in and out of the hospital.
Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital partnered with a few other local companies to mark the birthday celebration.
