The 10,000th instrument donated by Ukulele Kids Club

Charlotte Bishop, patient at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital and recipient of the 10,000th ukulele donated by UKC!

Music Therapist Kelli McKee works with Charlotte Bishop at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis, MO

Organization Gives its 10,000th Ukulele to Pediatric Patient at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital

LAKELAND, FLORIDA, USA, May 13, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Founded in 2013, Ukulele Kids Club, the nonprofit that supports the healthcare of medically fragile children through music therapy and donations of ukuleles, today marks the gift of its 10,000th instrument. The one-of-a-kind ukulele features hand-painted images of children, clouds, and rainbows, and was presented to a young patient at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Mo.

The special edition ukulele is functionally identical to the thousands of ukuleles that UKC has delivered to hospital-based music therapy programs for their patients over the past seven years. Charlotte Bishop, a 7-year-old in the care of Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, received the ukulele, which she will use under the guidance of Music Therapist Kelli McKee MA, MT-BC, NICU MT. So far, music therapy has helped Charlotte to cope with her diagnosis of a rare blood disease, through pain and symptom support, decreased stress, and many other clinical interventions. She will have the special 10,000th UKC ukulele to use during her therapy sessions, and to keep and use on her own when she goes home.

“Each instrument donated represents for us the opportunity to give a medically fragile child comfort, creativity, and a means to cope with their situation, not only in the clinical setting, but for long afterward,” said Marlén Rodriguez-Wolfe, M.M CEO of UKC. “We are so pleased that our 10,000th donated ukulele was slated for Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Our partnership is one of the most cherished and important bonds we have made in the past 7-plus years, and we’re grateful to play a small part in the incredible care they are providing to kids like Charlotte.”

“We are proud to be one of UKC’s longest-standing partners, and the recipient of many of their generous gifts of instruments,” said Steven Burghart, president of Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. “Each uke they provide is deployed by our music therapy team, helping us deliver not only quality care, but also a beautiful way to cope and express emotions during difficult times.”

A fan of Disney music and "The Little Mermaid" in particular, Charlotte has worked with Kelli McKee to sing and play music to overcome some of the challenges of her condition and treatment. “I will never forget how nervous Charlotte was before a procedure in the operating room,” Ms. McKee said. “She asked if I could go in with her, so we began to sing her favorite song ‘part of your world’ and the entire surgery team joined in until she was asleep—It was just one of those moments you don’t forget,” said Kelli.

See the entire video of how the UKC and Cardinal Glennon came together for the surprise ukulele presentation to Charlotte at this link.

Founded in 2013, UKC has donated more than 10,000 ukuleles to music therapy programs at children’s hospitals in the U.S. and internationally. The UKC has expanded its support of hospital-based music therapy programs through a growing network of more than 200 hospitals, including such leading children’s hospitals as Boston Children’s Hospital, Mattel UCLA Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, Texas Children’s Hospital, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Riley Children’s Health in Indianapolis, and Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. Working under the guidance of board-certified music therapists, children use the ukuleles as part of their therapy during their hospitalizations, and may keep the instruments when they return home. Once back home, children can use the ukulele to pursue a love of music as well as long-term therapy goals.
Music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions. Board-certified music therapists create therapy plans designed for each patient, based on individualized needs and goals. Among the goals of music therapy interventions are: engaging in wellness habits, stress management, pain reduction, physical rehabilitation, enhanced cognition, and many other individualized therapeutic goals.

About Ukulele Kids Club, Inc.
The Ukulele Kids Club (UKC) is a nonprofit organization based in Lakeland, Florida. The UKC was founded in 2013 by Corey and Edda Bergman as a tribute to Corey’s son Jared Bergman. Since its founding, the UKC has directly supported the health care of more than 10,000 medically fragile children through music, music therapy and donations of its signature instrument. The UKC works with more than 220 hospital-based music therapy programs in the U.S. and around the world.The UKC is a platinum-level GuideStar participant; learn more at www.theukc.org.

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Casper Casparian
Ukulele Kids Club
+1 310-435-4833
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