By Conrad Dudderar
Associate Editor
Yukon Parks & Recreation personnel are being challenged to “break a record” in their department’s sixth annual holiday Diaper Drive.
YPR Special Events Supervisor Nick Rice has issued a call for employees at all YPR facilities to encourage donations from their patrons to benefit the Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital in Bethany.
The sixth annual effort – coordinated with the Children’s Center’s “Holiday Helpers” campaign – started on Thanksgiving and runs through New Year’s Day.
There is a “friendly competition” among the Yukon Community Center, Dale Robertson Center and Jackie Cooper Gym to see which facility collects the most diapers. The Jackie Cooper Gym is looking to retain its title for a fourth straight year.
“We need each center to collect 1,333 a week to have a record-breaking year,” YPR special events supervisor Nick Rice said.
Last year, the YPR facilities collected 11,457 diapers for the Children’s Center. The record year was 2016 when 15,289 diapers were donated.
The public is welcome to bring new diapers to the Yukon Community Center (2200 S Holly), Dale Robertson Center (1200 Lakeshore), Jackie Cooper Gym (1024 E Main), and YPR Administration Office (532 W Main). All donations are welcome.
“Those diapers will be taken to the Children’s Center; a lot of people don’t know how many diapers they use there for all of their children,” Yukon Mayor Mike McEachern said.
“So it’s very important that we help with that every year if we possibly can.”
The Children’s Center Hospital in Bethany utilizes 10,000 diapers a week. Donations of Pampers and Huggies brand diapers are suggested.
The Children’s Center is a private, non-profit hospital offering 24-hour medical care, comprehensive rehabilitative therapies, respiratory care, and special education.
The Children’s Center’s Holiday Helpers campaign, which also runs through New Year’s Day, provides much-needed items that are used daily to care for the pediatric patients with special needs.
The Children’s Center collects other items like wipes and lotion through the campaign.
A basic needs list may be found at http://www.tccokc.org under “Ways to Give/Holiday Helpers.”
For more information about the YPR Diaper Drive, call 350-8937.
