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SALT LAKE CITY -- The 34th Annual KSL Primary Children's Radiothon. starts Thursday afternoon -- and with it, the popular Moose Drop. For a $75 donation, callers can have a stuffed moose delivered to a child in the hospital.
But why a Moose Drop? And what does that mean to the children? The moose are a pet-project -- pun intended -- of Ken Macey, who is probably better known as the former CEO and owner of Macey's food stores.
"I'm a moose collector," he says, "and so, if anything has a moose on it, I generally buy and collect it. And everybody that knows I'm a moose collector just keeps giving me moose things all the time, and it sort of started out as a joke, but then it got really serious."
Every year, going back for almost as long as radiothon has been in existence, Macey and his wife, Robin, buy up 300 stuffed moose. In some cases, it meant traveling far and wide to get enough of the animals for each child.
"You know, nowadays it's a lot easier because of the Internet. So, we can go to these companies that we know about and find out if they have anything to offer, and then we can order them," Macey says. "Or if we're traveling, then we'll pick ‘em up off the shelves and see the name tags, and then Robin calls the company and makes arrangements to get us the moose."
From there to radiothon, the moose make the rounds to the children themselves. Even among some of the sickest patients, it's an instant smile.
On the day KSL News visited, we met Travis Jenson. He is one of the oldest patients on what's called the "Rapid Treatment Unit," but he wasn't too old to get the moose, or to flash a smile to Macey.
"I have appendix-itis, whatever it's called," he told us. "They're still deciding if I need it [removed] or … they're thinking I might be able to go home today."
Macey says the moose are checked out to make sure they're soft and huggable, but also safe so that both the smallest babies and the oldest teens are OK to give them a squeeze.
"I think the oldest person I gave a moose to was an 18-year-old young man who was here for some special needs, and even he hugged it," Macey says.
The staff at Primary Children's says the moose are a big motivator for the donations they need. One out of every nine children that comes in to be treated can't afford it. Last year, the hospital spent more than $14.3 million to cover the more than 14,057 hospital visits of children in need.
In Macey's opinion, what most of the kids need is a new "moosey" friend to hug. "It can't hurt," he chuckles.
Again, this year's KSL Radiothon begins Thursday afternoon. If you would like to donate, you can do so by calling toll free 1-800-762-PCMC (7262). You can also donate online by clicking HERE.
E-mail: bbruce@ksl.com
