HAVI Logistics employees spent a few hours in Turkish university hospitals, handing out presents to sick children, making them happy and helping them to forget their troubles.
HAVI Logistics has already been supporting the Ronald McDonald House Charities for a long time. All employees are very active, and not only as donors of money - they also give their time to help sick children. For example, employees at the Turkish HAVI Logistics company marked the turn of the year by doing a good turn to help sick kids and their families in Ronald McDonald Houses.
In December, four colleagues from the DC in Sekerpinar visited two university hospitals in Turkey's largest city, Istanbul. These hospitals admit children with incurable diseases. The families of the children live in rooms at the hospital that are set up and maintained by the Ronald McDonald House Charities. In some cases whole Turkish families have a temporary home here, so they can be right next to their sick kids. "It is heart-wrenching to see these children fighting for their lives. Some of them are still so young they do not even know they are in a hospital," says Hatice Dalagan, Human Resources & Administration Manager at HAVI Logistics Turkey.
The four employees handed out the gifts they brought along to a total of 40 boys and girls, which made not only their eyes shine. "The children's families were also extremely grateful," Hatice Dalagan says. "It is a really tough time for the families, yet still they have so much hope." Hatice Dalagan and her three colleagues did not take generic presents for the children. Several days before their visit, they found out the number of boys and girls and how old they were. Then they bought appropriate toys for the tiny tots, clothes for the teenagers, and some board games for all the children to while away the long hours in hospital. It was difficult for the visitors from HAVI Logistics to say goodbye to the children because it was so obvious how happy they were; but seeing the happy faces and knowing they had helped the children forget their worries at least for a few hours was really only a poor consolation.
