Rochester Charity Donates E-Readers for Kids to Area Hospital

Since its founding in 2008, Charlotte's Wings has donated more than 20,000 books to Michigan hospitals and hospices.

This month, the Rochester charity's donations went high-tech.

The nonprofit organization donated six Nook e-Readers to the pediatric unit at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. Each of the Nooks had 29 titles loaded onto them, including books from the Magic Tree House series, the Berenstein Bears series and the Junie B. Jones series, according to a news release from Charlotte's Wings.

Joann Young, child life specialist at Beaumont, said the hospital was excited to receive the donation.

"These Nooks will add hours of delight through interactive stories while children recuperate in the hospital," Young said. "We are very appreciative of this great opportunity to be able to offer the latest e-Reader technology to our most special patients."

Along with the Nooks, Charlotte’s Wings donated more than 500 books to the hospital's pediatric unit this month.

Charlotte's Wings , who died at 5 months old of a rare degenerative brain disease. In lieu of baptism gifts, her parents made a large donation of books to the pediatric unit at the Royal Oak hospital. Since then, the organization has continued and expanded the initiative.

Jennifer Buck, chair of Charlotte’s Wings, said she is thrilled with the latest donation.

“Beaumont Royal Oak was where the Charlotte’s Wings story started and where Charlotte herself spent much of her journey, so it has always been special to all of us at Charlotte’s Wings," Buck said. "We hope that the latest book donation and the new addition of the Nook tablets will bring much joy in the coming months and years to children who find themselves in the care of the Beaumont Pediatric Unit, and that we can bring a little comfort to them in a challenging time.”

Buck indicated this will likely be the first of many e-Reader donations for the charity.

"Charlotte’s Wings donates books all over the state of Michigan now – everywhere from Ann Arbor to the U.P. If the Nooks are a success at Beaumont, we hope to extend the same offer of books on Nook tablets to many more of our partner hospitals throughout Michigan.”

For more information about Charlotte’s Wings, see www.charlottes-wings.com or look up Charlotte’s Wings on Facebook.