Charitable Organization Pays Tribute to the Life of 4-Year Old Oscar by Ensuring All Children Have the Chance to Play
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Oscar Litwak Foundation, a charitable organization in the United States, is on a mission to ensure each and every hospitalized child’s psychological need for everyday happiness is met, no matter their condition. By providing Mobile Playrooms to hospitals in need, The Oscar Litwak Foundation grants children access to toys, crafts, and other forms of entertainment that are proven to brighten these brave boys and girls’ days.
In the US alone, more than 3 million children are hospitalized annually, according to statistics. Like Oscar Litwak, the son of Founders Roberto and Sharon Litwak, many of these kids are either unable to leave their beds or are required to spend countless hours on the hospital premises. Seldom will they experience a trip to the arcade, a summer day spent swimming at the pool, or even the small joy of playing with toys in the comfort of their homes.
Inspired by their 4-year old son Oscar’s difficult journey as he battled and eventually passed from cancer of the kidneys, Roberto and Sharon formed The Oscar Litwak Foundation as a means to restore a level of normalcy and improve the quality of life of sick children who are either hospitalized or receiving long-term medical treatments.
“From the time Oscar was born, he was fighting for his life,” says Roberto Litwak, President of The Oscar Litwak Foundation. “His days were consumed by long trips to the hospital, chemotherapy sessions, and often, pain. However, we noticed the fulfillment of that small, but crucial, psychological need of playing as a child would significantly brighten his day, no matter how difficult it had been. Oscar was fortunate enough to have a playroom at his hospital, but many other children do not have this luxury. Many children are too sick to leave their rooms. By providing hospitals with our mobile playrooms, we hope to pay tribute to our son and bring happiness and relief to those children facing a similar journey.”
The Oscar Litwak Foundation’s Mobile Playrooms are specially manufactured carts filled with books, toys, arts and craft supplies, and games. They are completely customizable to suit each hospital’s specific needs, and best of all, they are 100 percent mobile and can be easily wheeled from one room to the next.
“Despite the great joy Oscar received from his hospital’s traditional playroom, there were many setbacks,” says Sharon Litwak. “For one thing, hospital playrooms generally follow a very strict schedule, and anyone with a child knows, there is no such thing as ‘schedule’ for a child who needs and wants to play. Moreover, what happens to all those children whose medical diagnosis and/or condition prevents them from leaving their hospital room? The Mobile Playroom addresses both of these issues by allowing children to play when they please and where they are able.”
The Oscar Litwak Foundation’s Mobile Playroom Program runs entirely on donations…and love. Hospitals are granted their Mobile Playrooms on a first-come-first-service basis and no request is ever denied.
To learn more and/or donate to The Oscar Litwak Foundation, please visit http://www.oscarlitwakfoundation.org/.
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