by Mike Schnitzel
"He was in pain and he needed something to distract him," said his father, Ray, Sr. "The hospital's pediatric playroom was lacking in toys, so he decided to do something about it."
Every year since then, on his birthday, Christmas Eve, Ray has returned to South Nassau with holiday gifts for the children in the pediatric unit.
"I want to make sure that the kids always have something to play with," said Ray.
This year the "Little St. Nick" of South Nassau, now 7-years-old, returned with four vans packed with gifts and four home entertainment systems fully-equipped with Sony PlayStation 2 systems and 27-inch high definition flat-screen televisions with built-in DVD and VCR units. Ray, Sr. estimates that in addition to the 300 toys young Ray brought for the children of the pediatric unit, $20,000 was raised to benefit South Nassau's pediatric care unit.
Joined by New York Islanders All-Star defenseman Janne Niinimaa, Ray hand-delivered the gifts to the children himself, sharing the joy of the holidays with the South Nassau community.
"When a 7-year-old walks to a kid in a bed and says 'I got this for you,' the look on the kids faces is amazing," said Ray, Sr. "It helps the kids heal because it really lifts their spirits."
All of the toys in the pediatric unit's playroom were supplied by Ray, and for the patients too sick to come to the playroom, there are mobile entertainment units equipped with PlayStation 2s and DVDs that can be brought to their rooms.
To provide the patients of the pediatric unit with their holiday gifts, Ray collects money from neighbors, friends, family, and local businesses who want to bring some holiday cheer to the children. Ray has appeared on radio station, K-Joy FM, and the television program, Good Day New York, to promote his holiday toy drive, said Ray, Sr. He has also been helped by the Islanders and Jets organizations, as well as cast members of the Sopranos, in his fundraising efforts.
Ray plans to return to South Nassau next year, to continue his holiday tradition of lifting the spirits of the young patients in the pediatric unit.
Anyone who would like to help Ray with his holiday efforts can contact him at http://www.raylittlestnick@aol.com.
