We are excited to announce Round Two of Platelets for Playoffs with the Los Angeles Kings!

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Blood Donor Center has teamed up with the Kings Care Foundation for year two (and round two) of Platelets for Playoffs (#PlateletsforPlayoffs).

Donate platelets at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Blood Donor Center from May 15-22 and be entered to win two playoff tickets to Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Thursday, May 23. You’ll also be entered to win a Los Angeles Kings game-used autographed hockey stick!

Why platelets are important for our patients:

• Kids receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatment have low platelet levels.
• Kids undergoing bone marrow transplants have low platelet levels.

Requirements to donate platelets:

• Must be at least 17 years old
• Must weigh at least 110 pounds
• Have a valid ID
• Eat a healthy meal before donating
• Donation process takes two to three hours

Make an Appointment Today!

Due to the time constraints for platelet donations, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles requires platelet donors to schedule their appointments.

Platelets for Playoffs appointment times are available May 15-22.

To make an appointment or for any questions, email blooddonorcenter@chla.usc.edu or call 323-361-2441.

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Blood Donor Center
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Mother’s Day arrived a few days early at our hospital for kids and their moms. On Wednesday, May 8, Drew Barrymore, her cosmetic line, FLOWER, along with a number of hair and make-up stylists arrived ready to host an afternoon of pampering.

The afternoon of spa bliss brightened the spirits of moms and their kids. Diana, whose child has been at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for one month shared her gratitude for the spa day. “It’s a nice stress reliever from the daily doctor visits and recovery process for my child. The nurses have been helpful too, they talk to me when I need it,” shared Diana while she was getting her hair curled and styled.

The afternoon was a nice way for moms and kids to feel like they weren’t in a hospital, but rather in a fancy salon being treated like stars. “I never have time to pamper myself. I am always in the hospital caring for my kid,” shares Amalia, whose child has been a patient for ten months. Some of the kids wanted their face painted and Drew invited an artist who used non-toxic face paint. Some of the parents channeled their child and got face paint art too!

Moms and kids not only received mini-makeovers but also goodie bags full of Drew’s make-up line and other fun items.

For all moms, we hope you enjoy Mother’s Day this Sunday. Take time to relax, read a book and enjoy some sunshine. Happy Mother’s Day!

On Monday, April 22, American Idol paid a special visit to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to visit our patients and bring smiles to their faces.

Each of the Top 4 Idol contestants, Kree Harrison, Amber Holcomb, Candice Glover and Angie Miller, was on hand to interact with our patients. One stop on their visit include the hospital’s Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit (NICCU), where the contestants participated in music therapy (you’ll have to tune in this Wednesday, April 24 at 8 p.m. PDT #IdolatCHLA, to find out which song resonated most) and witnessed the healing power of music.

Patients and families enjoyed their visit, especially a toddler boy, Morrison, who underwent a liver transplant three months ago. While too young to form sentences, he did plenty of coo-ing, giggling and squealing when the Idols were around.

The contestants brought the American Idol crew with them to present a mini-concert to our patients and some of the most special moments with our patients were captured for the cameras. One special moment included a visit with former hospital patient, Eileen, a Junior Ambassador of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and teen singer. During the Idol’s private concert, she beamed with inspiration when she asked the Top 4 what it was like to be on stage and perform. Performing on stage on national television is one of Eileen’s dreams and there is no doubt today left a lasting impression for her to reach for the stars!

The moment that will last a lifetime was the last song of the Idol’s private concert. Kree, Amber, Candice and Angie invited patients from the audience to join them on stage to sing Bruno Mars’ Just the Way You Are. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Our patients loved the opportunity to mingle with the contestants and the contestants had a great time as well.

As a way to say “Thanks,” the Idols were presented with a colorful painting created through a collaborative effort among our patients.

These moments and many more are being prepared now to go on air this week during the Top 4 episode of American Idol! Please plan to watch or record American Idol this Wednesday, April 24 at 8 p.m. PDT on FOX, so that you can see their visit. We’ll be tweeting #IdolatCHLA!

What’s made of platinum and diamonds and says “Hockey Champs” like nothing else can?

A Stanley Cup Championship Ring!

Help Us Find it a Worthy Home

You can help us find a home for a very special Stanley Cup Championship Ring. Owners must:

• Love the Los Angeles Kings
• Want to own a piece of sports history
• Be enthusiastic about the fact that their winning bid will help out not one, but two, great causes.

How Did Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Get So Lucky?

We have been lucky enough to be on a first-name basis with the Los Angeles Kings for years. The Kings are dedicated supporters of our Blood Donor Center. In recognition of how crucial it is for the children we treat to have blood and platelets as part of their recovery, they have found a multitude of creative ways to support our efforts in the community.

• Los Angeles Kings Bring Goodies to Kids and Families
• 2.6 Million Reasons to Say Thank You!
• The Los Angeles Kings and the Stanley Cup Visit Children’s Hospital Los Angeles!
• Thankful for the L.A. Kings Platelets for Playoffs Promotion & Stanley Cup Win
• Platelets for Playoffs a Success
• Prizes in August for Blood and Platelet Donors
• Win Los Angeles Kings Tickets By Donating Blood or Platelets

So, although our hospital is not going to win a national hockey championship anytime soon, we’re excited to have good friends who have.

Kings Championship Ring

The Kings’ generous donation of one of their highly coveted Stanley Cup Championship rings, created by Tiffany & Co.,  permits us to partner with another favorite Kings’ cause, City Year, to support our to create hope and build healthier futures.

For sports lovers, owning a Stanley Cup Championship ring is an investment in the excitement of a big hockey win and a piece of sports history rolled into one with the added benefit of having the potential to increase exponentially in value over time.

A Separate Opportunity to Win

Separate from the bidding for the Stanley Cup Championship ring, Kings fans may also bid on an “Ultimate Kings Fan Package,” including dinner with Luc Robitaille, special tickets to a Kings game and more.

How to Bid

Bidding on both items is already underway on CharityBuzz’ online auction website for nonprofit organizations like Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Bidding closes on Monday, April 22 at noon. Check the links below to bid:

• Click here to bid on the Stanley Cup Championship Ring.
• Click here to bid on the Ultimate Kings Fan Package.

Can’t Wait to Meet the Winners

We feel like winners by being invited to participate in such a wonderful way to highlight our mission. We can’t wait to pass along that winning feeling to the lucky bidder on both of the items listed above. We’ll look for you on the CharityBuzz’ auction site and at an upcoming Los Angeles Kings game where you’ll be featured as the real winner. See you there!

P.S. Our fellow charity partner in this auction is City Year, also a favorite charity of the LA Kings. City Year is a non-profit organization that engages in targeted efforts across the U.S. to prevent youth from dropping out of school. We look forward to sharing proceeds from this exciting effort.

It was a fun afternoon for patients and families at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. A number of players from the Los Angeles Kings, along with Bailey, stopped by with goodies including special tote bags, arts and crafts and autographs from the players!

This is an annual event, every year the Los Angeles Kings visit patients and families to spend an afternoon getting to know the kids and doing fun activities.

The L.A. Kings have been supporters of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for years. Last year, the hospital partnered with the L.A. Kings for the Platelets for Playoffs campaign to encourage platelet donations for a chance to win playoff tickets or a lunch with L.A. Kings goalie, Jonathan Quick. Over 90 patients were helped as a result of Platelets for Playoffs!

In July of last year, the L.A. Kings brought the Stanley Cup to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to give patients, families and staff the opportunity to take photos with it and meet Dustin Brown, Bailey and others.

Here are some photos from the L.A. Kings’ visit with patients and families.

Timbaland performing at Post-GRAMMY Benefit Concert.

For the second year in a row, the biggest night and the biggest names in music converged at House of Blues on Sunset following the GRAMMY Awards in February for a charity concert benefiting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

The evening featured performances by deadmau5, Timbaland + Demetrius, Nero, Crookers, DJ Reflex and special guest, Kylie Minogue, each of whom donated their performance. The evening was a great success thanks to the generosity of event creators and presenters, Roc Nation and Three Six Zero Group; House of Blues Sunset, who provided the venue; and event sponsors Stance Socks and Skullcandy as well as Island Def Jam and Nokia Music, who donated to the cause.

VIPs and celebrities were also on hand to support the cause, including JAY Z, Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, Ellen Pompeo, Adrienne Bailon, Kat Von D, Nicole Scherzinger, Rashida Jones, Sia, Stargate, Kat Graham (Vampire Diaries), Chord Overstreet (Glee), and Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games).

Funds raised benefited the hospital’s Children’s Orthopaedic Center (COC), which specializes in the care of children and adolescents with bone and soft tissue tumors, hip disorders, neuromuscular disorders, scoliosis and other spinal deformities and spina bifida. Proceeds from the evening will help fund critical needs, such as pediatric medical research and providing the best medical care for children with birth defects, physical deformities and life-threatening illness or injury. The annual event has raised more than $264,000 to date.

“Producing an event during GRAMMY week is a great time to benefit and highlight the Children’s Orthopaedic program” says Dean Wilson, President of Three Six Zero Group, “Thank you to all the artists who performed and everybody that made donations that helped make this event such a success.”

“We cannot express enough our thanks to Roc Nation, Three Six Zero, House of Blues and all the amazing artists who donated their time and talent for this amazing event,” said David Skaggs, MD, Director of the Children’s Orthopaedic Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “As a nonprofit hospital, fundraisers like this are absolutely critical to our success. We’re proud to be the very best at what we do, but it’s truly the support of the community that makes it possible.”

Crookers helped kick off the evening.	Headliner deadmau5 and Kylie Minogue surprised guests with a special duo performance.
Nero entertained guests late into the night.	The evening drew a sold-out crowd.

Patients and families at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles got a special surprise on Friday, March 1. Members of the Cullen family (Actors: Peter Facinelli, Liz Reaser, Jackson Rathbone and Nikki Reed) from The Twilight Saga stopped by to surprise them with a private screening of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn 2, autographed t-shirts, goodie bags and bedside visits.

The kids enjoyed every minute of the visit. There were opportunities to take photos and chat one-on-one with Peter, Liz, Jackson and Nikki. The actors were especially interested in learning more about the patients, what their hobbies are and what they want to be when they grow up. Nikki and one of the kids enjoyed a conversation about poetry and Peter shared his amateur bowling stories.

This isn’t the first time the Cullen family has supported the kids and families at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. This past November, there was a “Cullen Family Blood Drive” benefiting the hospital on the opening weekend of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn 2 movie.

Enjoy a special video and photos from the surprise visit!

It may have been a foggy morning in Los Angeles, but the beams of smiles and spirit at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles shined through when the talented stars from CBS’ shows such as 90210, CSI Las Vegas, NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles,Vegas, The Insider and Entertainment Tonight visited for the studio’s annual toy drive for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. To the kids and families, it was the perfect way to kick-start the holiday season.

Over 75 boxes of toys arrived accompanied by Ted Danson, Wallace Langham, Brian Dietzen, Elisabeth Harnois, Renee Felice Smith, Anna Belknap, Eric Christian Olsen, Cote de Pablo, Michael Steger, Barrett Foa, Daniela Ruah, Pat Harvey, Kevin Frazier, Chris Jacobs and many others!

The stars personally delivered toys to the kids and spent time talking and meeting the families in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases,  Medical/Surgical Unit and Rehabilitation. Joking, laughing, heart-felt conversation and hugs truly made the kids’ and families’ spirits merry and bright. Pauley Perrett of NCIS became friends with a 15-year-old patient and joked about her nostalgia for the childhood toy, Mr. Potato Head, and how much she loves photo booth photos with friends.

After the bedside visits, the kids were invited for storytime with the stars! This included holiday arts and crafts and a live reading of The Night Before Christmas from Michael Weatherly of NCIS. He insisted on taking his shoes off during story time. The kids laughed while Ted Danson of CSI covered his nose.

The day ended with a live acoustic performance by the Jonas Brothers! Armed with shakers and maracas, the kids enjoyed being part of their live performance and singing along. The Jonas Brothers performed original songs and some holiday tunes. On behalf of the kids and families at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, we thank CBS and its stars for its annual toy drive and support!

If you’re interested in supporting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles too, you can help us reach our $200,000 goal by Dec. 31!

Please join us in congratulating Dylan Prunty, a six-year-old patient, on being our first in-house LEGO Master Builder.

Dylan proudly displays a certificate because it was sent to him by fellow LEGO Master Builders and the company’s President. His Certificate of Achievement reads,  “You go beyond a LEGO enthusiast; you are truly a LEGO Master Builder!” After gaining so much in-house support from hospital staff who were overjoyed to see Dylan find such happiness during his recovery, ABC7 in Los Angeles decided to air his story on the news. After that, the fan mails started with numerous letters, LEGO donations and much more.

WATCH: Young Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Patient is LEGO-Building Whiz.

When asked how long it took him to build a full-size semi truck with a motor and crane, he says “About four hours, but that’s because the nurse kept coming in to check up on me.” (He would have had it done sooner!)

He has other special guests checking in on him too, like Los Angeles Lakers player, Pau Gasol!

Pau made a special visit to Dylan’s room at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and attempted to help build one of his many projects. Dylan is very particular of every single placement, so he remained in complete control of each piece. Pau presented Dylan with a size 17  autographed shoe and was surprised by just how large his foot was. “WOW! This is almost as big as me!” says Dylan.

Dylan made quite the impression with Pau as shared on his Twitter page.

Dylan was diagnosed with a complex form of mitochondrial disease that requires the care of several pediatric specialists in areas such as Endocrinology, Nephrology, Gastroenterology and more.  He has undergone a series of blood transfusions and other treatments, but nothing tears him away from his LEGOs for long.

Take a look at Dylan’s incredible work!

To kick start the season for giving and celebrate the premiere of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part Two, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles partnered with L.A. LIVE and AEG Worldwide to host a Cullen Family Blood Drive on Saturday, Nov. 17, to benefit sick children.

Twilight fans and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles supporters from all over Los Angeles were in the spirit of giving. Knowing their blood donation would help sick kids rather than be a food source for the Cullen Family, it was even more reason to donate. We are thrilled it was a successful blood drive.

There were 43 people signed up to donate and of those, 20 were walk-ins. Over 36 units of blood were collected. Did you know one unit of blood can save as many as three kids? Over 105 kids will benefit from blood collected on Saturday.

On behalf of the kids at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, we are thankful to L.A. LIVE, AEG Worldwide and the Los Angeles Kings Ice Crew for the partnership and support of this successful and fun blood drive.

Interested in organizing a blood drive to benefit sick kids at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles? Get started here.

Tweetcap from Saturday’s blood drive!