By JESSICA HARDING
Staff Writer
A popular New York Yankee from the past helped spread the holiday cheer recently at The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center.
As part of the Hess Toy Truck tradition, Hess donated trucks to young patients at the hospital in Long Branch on Dec. 5. Hess visits hospitals annually to donate and brighten the holiday season for children.
Hess General Manager Justin Mayer says that hospital visits are some of the company’s favorite moments.
“Hess has been giving donations for decades,” he said. “Hospital visits are a big part of what we do. I feel like Santa Claus being here. When we see children and their families’ faces light up, it is the best feeling. It truly is so rewarding.”
Mickey Rivers, the star outfielder who helped guide the New York Yankees to World Series championships in 1977 and 1978, represented Hess at the event.
Rivers, who was nicknamed “Mick the Quick” during his career, was brought in by Hess to the hospital where he delivered the toy trucks, signed autographs and posed in photos with the children.
Clinical Director Debra Petersen was delighted to have Rivers there.
“Having a celebrity truly matters to children. Rivers has made this a moment in these children’s lives that they will never forget,” she said.
Rivers loved seeing the expression on the children’s faces.
“Don’t thank me,” he told a boy’s father, “It is my pleasure!”
Rivers, a fleet center fielder and a Yankee spark as the leadoff batter, noticed the look of the hospital rooms.
“The rooms do not really look like rooms in a hospital. They make the children feel extremely comfortable,” he said.
Medical Director Meg Fisher described the vision for the Valerie Fund Children’s Center, which contains rooms for children getting treatment for cancer.
“We do not want it to look like a hospital for these children,” she said. “We want them to feel comfortable. As you can see, we have a room with a surfboard, a room with a sailboat and rooms with lots of colors.”
Watching Rivers visit these rooms and present the trucks made the entire staff light up.
Director of Donor Relations Robin Lowy-Embrey and Director of Marketing Elizabeth Brennan think the donation of trucks is remarkable.
“This time of the year, some families do not have the means to buy toys,” Lowy-Embrey said. “The donation of toy trucks is amazing for these children.”
Marketing Manager Kathy Horan also watched as the children received their trucks.
“This is great for the patients, as well as the staff. We love to see them genuinely happy. It is so uplifting and Hess is such a classic,” she said.
The toy trucks the children were given contain LED lights, side-out ramps and four realistic sounds, such as a race-starting countdown. The weight-transfer design and pull-back friction motor enable launch in flat or wheelie positions. The vehicles feature green accents, sleek chrome styling and over 50 lights.
The Hess company has close family ties to the Monmouth Medical Center.
The career center is named Leon Hess, after the late philanthropist and founder of energy giant Hess Corporation. His late wife, Norma Hess, is the sister-in-law of the late Jacqueline M. Wilentz, whom the Jacqueline M. Wilentz Comprehensive Breast Center at Monmouth Medical Center is named after.
For more information about the Hess Toy Truck, visit www.hesstoytruck.com.