In a chaotic life of illness and hospital stays, children search for any opportunity to find a sense of normalcy. School is an important part of every child’s life, and hospitals across the nation are beginning to recognize this and implement academic programs to support their patients.

St. Luke’s Hospital, is one of the proud hospitals that helps support the educational needs of patients whose medical condition impacts their learning experience. They provide services that are  free to those patients and their families. The teachers at St. Luke’s are certified, highly qualified candidates, with classroom experience. They are trained in a variety of areas including elementary, middle, high school and special education, ensuring quality educational support to the child patients.

Because the school at St. Luke's has very limited spots available for students, patients that can't attend the pediatric school participate in programs such as "Monkey in My Chair" and Skype, as ways to help their patients stay connected with their teachers and classmates at their regular schools.

The 'Monkey in my Chair' program sends out 'Monkey Kits' to kids battling cancer. The kit includes one big monkey, one little monkey, and plenty of journals and handbooks. The bigger monkey sits in the student's chair at school while they are undergoing treatment and the little monkey keeps the little patient company in the hospital while they are missing their friends at school. The kids at school take the giant monkey with them to recess and all around the school, so that they can feel their friend is with them at all times.

St. Luke's works with schools in their district to also offer Skype programs, so that the kids can video chat with students, and watch lectures as if they were right there in the classroom. The child is able to participate in class discussions, and still have the opportunity to see their friends every day.

St. Luke's Hospital is proud to be an advocate for children's education. However, the funding for these programs is very limited, and working with schools to make accommodations for sick students isn't always easy.

With your help, St. Luke's can use the donations from 36 Hours for Kids to raise funds to expand the size of the St. Luke's school. They can also use those funds to help more patients use both the "Monkey in My Chair" and Skype programs. Please donate now!

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