Local Family Creates Care Packages for Parents with Children at Children's Hospital

A local family has donated hundreds of toys to Children's Hospital and is now donating care packages for their parents.

CBS 58 first met the Wilks family a year ago when 8-year-old Vance, who had spent many nights in the hospital, decided to give back and give hundreds of toys to other sick kids.

His sister is now getting in on the act.

In 2014 during an MRI, the Wilks family was told their son Vance had a tumor-and they ended up spending nearly an entire summer in the ER at Children's Hospital.

The surgery was a success, but the Waterford family will never forget that day or how helpless they felt without their stuff.

“It’s pretty boring at the hospital with no toys so I wanted to get toys for the children there,” said Vance.

It’s also why Vance has collected toys at his dad's golf club for other little patients.

More than 1500 over the past 3 years have been collected.

Vance’s sister started raising funds to make care packages for the parents of the children in the hospitals.

“We left with Vance,” said Chad, Vance’s father, about staying their son's bedside until the day he left.

Chad’s daughter, Harley, raised $900 over the summer for care packages.

The money was used on these travel size items to make little care packages for parents.

“I think parents put themselves in that position that could be us,” said

Harley has collected enough to create 200 care packages

The family said they are happy knowing they are raising children with grateful hearts.

The Wilks family said Children's Hospital will hand these bags out as needed.

Also, they wanted to remind the public that they're still looking for toy donations specifically baby toys this year.