Kayla Cares for Kids at Martin Medical Center

Kayla Abramowitz knows what it’s like to be in the hospital and wanted to make the experience easier for other children. With the help and support of her family, she created Kayla Cares 4 Kids, a nonprofit committed to collecting entertainment and educational items for children's hospitals. 

In honor of Martin Luther King day, the entire Abramowitz family arrived at Martin Medical Center in Stuart on January 16, to deliver boxes of books, movies and video games for the pediatric unit. 

“We are thrilled that Kayla Cares 4 Kids found us!” said Lori Matich, nurse manager of pediatrics and the neonatal intensive care unit at Martin Medical Center. “No child likes to be in the hospital, so it is important to do whatever we can to make their stay in the hospital a little more enjoyable. It also makes the nurses happy to be able to provide diversion activities for the kids while they are hospitalized.” 

Kayla came up with the idea for Kayla Cares 4 Kids following extended hospital stays that both she and her brother, Ethan, experienced. Her original goal in 2013 was to collect 100 DVDs to donate to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, but a newspaper article about her in the Palm Beach Post brought in an overwhelming response of donations.

Today, with more than 12,000 items collected and donated, Kayla is working as hard as ever “to help sick kids feel better one smile at a time!”

“I can’t believe I’m able to make such a difference in kids’ lives while they’re staying in the hospital,” Kayla said. “I think it means the world to them, and I know it means the world to me.”

When delivering donations to area hospitals, Kayla is joined by her mother and father and two brothers, Ethan and Ben.

“Some people go to the beach on a holiday, but we go to the hospital to deliver items, and it makes us all feel good,” said Michael Abramowitz, Kayla’s father. “To know that you’re helping someone else when they’re going through something that we can relate to ourselves, well that makes a difference.”

Learn more about Kayla Cares 4 Kids at www.kaylacares4kids.org.