Today was one of my proudest afternoons as a father.
I took Casey, my 7-year-old daughter, to Blythedale Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, N.Y. That’s the place where, once again, she decided to donate all the goodies from the second-annual Casey Pearlman Toy Drive. Casey collected 151 toys in total (beating the 2009 total), and I’d like to thank the soooooooo many people here who contributed in myriad ways. Last year, I was able to bribe people with a new book. This year, I have no new book. So it was pretty much people solely being decent and caring. Which is wonderful.
For the record, Blythedale is a remarkable place, and if you ever find yourself looking for a charity, well, you won’t do better than this one. We had a guided tour today, and the woman told us some 75 percent of patient families receive some form of financial aid.
The primary lesson we’re trying to teach Casey is about giving and helping others, but I’ve discovered another one here as well. The toughest part of the toy drive on Casey is having tons upon tons of toys arrive at her house in packages bearing her name—and she can’t have any of them. I honestly believe it’s a powerful point on patience and empathy, which I love.
Anyhow, on behalf of my daughter, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you.
