Special Volunteer Programs

Amerman Family Foundation Dog Therapy Program

The Amerman Family Foundation Dog Therapy Program provides physical, psychological and emotional benefits of animal interaction for patients who are hospitalized. By animals offering their unconditional love and acceptance, children often see them as their friends.

Currently the dog and handler teams are utilized in three different ways:

  • Bedside Visits offer companionship and comfort to our patients who must spend many long hours in bed
  • Rehabilitation Services - the animals are used in therapeutic interventions with physical and occupational therapy
  • Comfort and Pain Management - the dogs make bedside visits to our patients who are in chronic pain.
  • Learn more about volunteering with your dog.

Literally Healing™

Children's Hospital Los Angeles’ Patient Therapeutic Library is designed to help hospitalized children better understand and master the issues they face on a daily basis. These can include depression, sibling jealousy or guilt, fear of disfigurement; living with a permanent disability; and even death and grieving.

  • Books are prescribed from the library of more than 800 titles by physicians, social workers and psychiatrists based on the needs of each child. Volunteers receive special training in reading to hospitalized children. Books are taken to the patient’s bedside in a special "Book Moo-bile," which is painted to resemble a cow. 
  • In addition to providing books, our bedside readers also distribute magazines in response to requests from patients and from parents.  Generous supporters often purchase annual subscriptions to magazines in order to provide a welcome distraction for patients who must spend many days in recovery, or for parents who remain vigilant at the bedsides of their recovering child.
  • Learn how to help the Literally Healing™ Program.

Heart Touch Massage

The Heart Touch Massage Project is working with our hospital to minimize pain and increase comfort in children and their families through massage therapy.  Heart Touch volunteers:

  • Provide massage therapy for infants in the Center for Newborn and Infant Critical Care (CNICC) along with training for their parents
  • Provide weekly massage therapy for patients in Rehab ranging in age from 7-21 for the purpose of relieving pain
  • Provide massage for the hospital staff on "Care for the Caregiver Day"
  • Provide massage for parents in the Outpatient Hematology/Oncology Clinic
  • Learn more about The Heart Touch Massage Project

Lollipop Theater

Founded in 2001, Lollipop Theater Network is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to bringing the magic of movies to children confined to hospitals nationwide due to chronic or life-threatening illnesses. LOLLIPOP works in collaboration with the leading motion picture studios to screen the season’s biggest G, PG and PG-13 blockbuster films for these very deserving children.

  • Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been a part of LOLLIPOP’s Network since 2002. The LOLLIPOP team conducts multiple screenings in our playrooms as well as at bedside for children unable to leave their rooms. Our pediatric patients get to experience the full Red Carpet treatment along with special LOLLIPOP movie tickets and film-related memorabilia. And on some occasions, even the stars of the film show up to join in the fun! 
  • Learn more about The Lollipop Theater.