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Cheer for a cure: Celebs, pols, and local leaders pass out gifts to kids at Brookdale Hospital

Cheer for a cure: Celebs, pols, and local leaders pass out gifts to kids at Brookdale Hospital
Photo by Steve Solomonson

They made this hospital a happy place!

Leaders of Brownsville’s Brookdale Hospital and a local do-good group handed out more than 100 toys to tykes at a star-studded giveaway on Tuesday.

Notable musicians joined football stars with the New York Giants at the sixth-annual “Christmas in Brooklyn” event, which brought some much-needed cheer to youngsters who are currently being treated at the hospital, according to an organizer.

“The joy that I see on the kids’ faces is priceless,” said Meda Leacock, the founder of mentoring organization I Am Wonda Woman Foundation, which serves teenage girls in Brooklyn and Queens.

Kind-hearted locals donated the dozens of toys, books, and stuffed animals that Leacock, pols, and civic gurus — including Assemblyman Walter Mosley (D–Bedford-Stuyvesant) and 43rd Assembly District Leader Geoffrey Davis — handed out to the kids during the bash, which also featured a puppet show, food, and a dance party, Leacock said.

And professional athletes including Giants player Deon Grant and boxer Bruce Carrington, along with hip-hop stars Lil Cease and Fetty Luciano, lent their hands to help pass out the presents to the eager tots — some of whom got the chance to see Grant’s Super Bowl XLVI championship ring up close, according to Leacock.

The festivities helped even the shiest pint-sized patients come out of their shells, making the time it took to put the event together well worth it, she said.

“There was a kid who just didn’t want to speak, didn’t want to laugh, but when we gave him a big truck and he saw the box, the way his face lit up — that’s priceless,” Leacock said.

Reach reporter Julianne McShane at (718) 260–2523 or by e-mail at jmcshane@cnglocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @juliannemcshane.