Goodwill Gifts Custom Made Pediatric Gowns to Wesley Children’s Foundation

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Gowns are part of the launch of the new apparel line by Goodwill called Edgar James Apparel

As Goodwill Industries of Kansas prepared to launch the new branding of its longtime apparel line, now called Edgar James Apparel, the Wichita-based nonprofit’s leadership saw an opportunity to give back to the community. On Thursday, November 17, 2016, Goodwill’s skills development employees delivered 500 custom made pediatric gowns to Wesley Children’s Foundation for distribution to pediatric patients across the area. View pictures from the special delivery on the Edgar James Apparel Facebook page. 

“Kansas families have supported our mission of providing job training and education opportunities to people with employment barriers for nearly 60 years. When the Wesley Children’s Foundation was announced, we knew it was the perfect way to showcase the expansion of our apparel for the medical field while giving back to local kids and families going through tough times,” Dave Chadick, Goodwill Industries’ Vice President of Industrial Services, said.

“We are so thrilled that Goodwill chose Wesley Children’s Foundation as the first organization to partner with for distribution of their pediatric gowns,” said Jill Bosley, executive director, Wesley Children’s Foundation.  “Because of their generosity, patients in Wichita and the surrounding communities will have access to fun, comfortable gowns that will hopefully make hospital stays more comfortable.”

The gowns were specifically designed for pediatric patients from feedback given by the Wesley Children’s Hospital parent advisory board. The colorful jungle-themed print is accented by a bright blue trim, matching the new hospital’s colorful décor. They also feature plastic snaps at the back and shoulder so they can be worn during medical procedures, CT scans and other tests.

“Hospitals and sickness can be scary for kids, but we know the medical community in Wichita does an amazing job of making them feel safe and comfortable while providing the best care. We hope these gowns will provide comfort and a little cheer to the children during their hospital stay,” Chadick continued.

Edgar James Apparel is named for Goodwill’s founder, Edgar James Helms, and offers apparel lines for safety, food service, retail and medical. While Goodwill’s sewing department has provided cut and sew services as well as custom apparel for nearly a decade, the Edgar James brand was created to help introduce the apparel lines into new markets. The newly launched edgarjamesapparel.com will expand sales to allow for individual orders, going beyond the current large scale contracts with businesses across the U.S. and Canada. This expansion and additional revenue will allow Goodwill to hire more people with employment barriers on the sewing team and also create additional jobs for people with developmental disabilities, including folding and packaging orders.

Goodwill is proud to be certified under the International Organization for Standardization Quality Standard (ISO 9001:2015), meaning its production facilities meet the level for production and quality standards.

About Goodwill Industries of Kansas, Inc.

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Goodwill Industries of Kansas provides opportunities for people with disabilities and barriers to employment seeking independent and productive lives. Hundreds of people with disabilities receive case management services and develop life and job skills through employment at Goodwill’s home office and in the community. Whether it be recycling donated items or preparing insulation for local aviation manufacturers, Goodwill clients and employees have found success and become more independent through work in our contracts division. Hundreds of adults work toward their GED and other certificate programs through the NexStep Alliance, a partnership between Goodwill and Wichita Area Technical College. These programs are supported by 18 retail stores and an ecommerce store in Kansas. For more information about Goodwill, visit goodwillks.org.

Wesley Healthcare is the region’s leading acute care hospital network providing a full range of diagnostic and treatment services for patients throughout Kansas and northern Oklahoma since 1912.  As a leader in Overall Recommended Care in national surveys, Wesley Medical Center treats more than 24,000 patients annually and delivers more than 6,000 babies – more than any hospital in a 13-state region.  Wesley provides the most extensive emergency network in Wichita, with Wesley ER, Wesley West ER, Wesley Woodlawn ER, the region’s only pediatric ER and soon, Wesley Derby ER.  Wesley owns and operates Wesley Medical Center, Wesley Woodlawn Hospital & ER, multiple WesleyCare clinics and is currently building the region’s only dedicated children’s hospital – Wesley Children’s Hospital. To learn more about Wesley Healthcare, please visit www.wesleymc.com.