CapStone Holdings Inc. and Gamers Outreach Bring Gaming to Children's Hospitals in St. Louis
Eight portable gaming units were donated to St. Louis Children's Hospital and Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, providing entertainment for patients.
CapStone Holdings Inc. ("CapStone Holdings") partnered with Michigan-based non-profit organization Gamers Outreach to gift gaming carts (GO Karts -- portable gaming kiosks) to St. Louis Children's Hospital and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital. Each hospital received four GO Karts with the intent to offer a form of recreation to kids and young adults in inpatient care.
Cailie Marino is a Child Life Specialist at St. Louis Children's Hospital and sees first-hand the impact GO Karts has had on patients. "Our department uses play, music, art, recreation and education techniques to help patients and families throughout their stay with us. The gaming carts fit in with our mission and are in high demand. We're thankful for CapStone Holdings' donation," says Marino.
St. Louis Children's Hospital is recognized in the top 10% nationally by U.S. News & World Report, which in 2022 ranked the hospital in all ten specialties surveyed for the 14th consecutive year. As the pediatric teaching hospital for Washington University School of Medicine, the hospital offers nationally recognized programs for physician training and research.
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon is recognized nationally by U.S. News & World Report as a Best Children's Hospital for 2022-23. The hospital received top 50 rankings in Neonatology, Gastroenterology and GI Surgery, and Nephrology.
"At SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, healing is about more than just medicine. Play is often "prescribed" by our team of child life specialists as a critical part of a patient's treatment plan," said Child Life Services manager Kim Eighmey. "The GO Karts are a wonderful resource for distraction, non-pharmacological pain management, and normalization for our patients. We are so grateful for this donation from CapStone Holdings and Gamers Outreach. We love seeing the joy on our kids' faces each day when they utilize these important coping tools."
GO Karts are explicitly built for hospitals—offering a form of recreation to kids and young adults in inpatient care. Gamers Outreach has since delivered kiosks to more than 360 hospitals worldwide – servicing as many as 4 million patients each year. Both St. Louis children's hospitals will offer GO Karts to all patients.
"CapStone Holdings and the Stone family are delighted to support these two amazing children's hospitals," said Heather Stone, co-founder of CapStone Holdings Inc. "We want to invest in the wellness of the people in this city. That includes supporting programs like such that help improve patient healing and therapy in the form of video gaming."
CapStone Holdings x STL Connection
CapStone Holdings, a self-funded family office business incubator and investment group chaired by Keith J. Stone and his wife Heather Stone, invested $40 million in the STL City Foundry in 2020 – one of the largest single-entity investors in the $210 million first phase of the 15-acre mixed-use development. The Stones also attended high school in the St. Louis area.
In 2022, CapStone Holdings partnered with Major League Baseball legend Reggie Jackson's Mr. October Foundation to bring its STEM program to over 4,000 students in St. Louis.
About CapStone Holdings, Inc.
CapStone Holdings, Inc. is a family office-structured holding company that keeps a balanced portfolio through investment strategies that maximize innovation and return with minimal risk. CapStone Holdings and its founders have invested across a wide range of industries for over 33 years and engage in focused philanthropic efforts. For more information about CapStone Holdings, visit www.capstoneholdingsinc.com.
About Gamers Outreach
Gamers Outreach is a 501(c)(3) charity that empowers hospitalized families through video games. The organization is on a mission to build a world where play is easily prioritized alongside research and treatment. To date, Gamers Outreach programs enable over 4 million gaming experiences across more than 360 healthcare facilities each year. Being in a hospital can be scary and isolating, but video games help inspire joy and connection. Through equipment and software, Gamers Outreach is helping kids in hospitals gain access to activities and do what kids do best - be themselves.