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Tablets That Bring Hope to Teens

“…He wasn’t thinking about gaming or social media. He was just relieved to know that he would no longer have to struggle to find a way to complete his online school work.” 

Toys for Hospitalized Children gifts Apple iPad with customized content to a teen patient at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Mich.
Toys for Hospitalized Children gifts Apple iPad with customized content to a teen patient at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Mich. Photo credit: Toys for Hospitalized Children

This testimonial came from the director of child life services for Hurley Children’s Hospital in Michigan after gifting a personalized Apple iPad to an in-patient teen through the Toys for Hospitalized Children’s Tablet for Teens program.

In addition to the tablet itself, the teen was also gifted with a subscription to Hulu, which he can watch movies on his iPad to keep him entertained while in the hospital. He was thrilled to be able to easily access his school work and stay connected with friends. 

This year, Toys for Hospitalized Children is prepared to give several iPads to teens at Hurley Children’s Hospital. Home and lock screens are customized on each tablet with the organization’s eye-catching logo.

“We began the Tablets for Teens program last year and saw first-hand how much the teens’ moods and spirits were lifted through the gifts we brought,” said JJ Hecht, president at Toys for Hospitalized Children. “The teenage demographic can often be overlooked when it comes to visits and presents in the hospital. Because of this, we are inspired to give more and this year, we customize the tablets to make them more personal.”

Toys for Hospitalized Children has partnered with more than 70 hospitals throughout the country to bring happiness and healing to children suffering from illness. Through their Tablet for Teens program, the Flint, Mich.,-based nonprofit organization helps teenagers “cope through scary, painful or stressful experiences” through gifts that keep them entertained and connected.

Customized home and lock screens were customized on tablets to offer a personalized experience.
Customized home and lock screens were customized on tablets to offer a personalized experience.
Recipient of Toys for Hospitalized Children's Tablets for Teens program in 2019.
Recipient of Toys for Hospitalized Children’s Tablets for Teens program in 2019. Photo source: Toys for Hospitalized Children
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How We Support the Pet Partners Community

As the second-largest private owner of freestanding veterinary hospitals in the U.S., Pet Partners specializes in purchasing neighborhood veterinary practices and hospitals, and providing the behind-the-scenes support so veterinarians can focus on providing patient care. 

The company’s Operations Support Center (OSC) team works with practices for behind-the-scenes support to help with financial, technology, human resources, purchasing or other business management needs. Pet Partners’ community ranges in size from private clinics to large group animal hospitals.

When a practice is acquired, Pet Partners equips the veterinarian with an iPad that is custom branded with the Pet Partners logo. The device contains preloaded content so it is ready for use with all the necessary tools for the doctor to run the hospital. Finally, a custom device sleeve printed with a Pet Partner image and a welcome note encloses the device, delivering an unprecedented unboxing experience.

Pet Partners bridges the gap between veterinary medicine practice and business operations. By providing the resources needed all on a mobile device, veterinarians are able to run their practice autonomously. 

Pet Partners supply each of the independent veterinary offices and hospitals in its network with a customized Apple iPad.
Pet Partners supply each of the independent veterinary offices and hospitals in its network with a customized Apple iPad.
Each iPad tablet is pre-loaded with software for hospital employees to create product checklists and sign any necessary documents.
Each iPad tablet is pre-loaded with software for hospital employees to create product checklists and sign any necessary documents.
Delivering an unprecedented unboxing experience for every recipient, a custom device sleeve is fitted for each iPad tablet along with a welcome note.
Delivering an unprecedented unboxing experience for every recipient, a custom device sleeve is fitted for each iPad tablet along with a welcome note.
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Salon Talk: An Immersive Brand Experience for Social Dry Lounge

Social Dry Lounge (SDL) is a Southern California luxury, full-service hair salon with six locations that offer hair blowouts and professional make-up services. The professionals at Social Dry Lounge aim to make every visit a first-class experience from the moment the customer walks through the doors with comfortable seating, complimentary refreshments, digital entertainment, and professional services. The salon is known for going above and beyond by providing guests with an iPad for personal use throughout their stay. 

For the grand opening of one location, FUSION OF IDEAS partnered with the salon to elevate the brand experience through technology. The back of each iPad used for guests was printed with the salon’s logo along with a stylish silhouette in the background. This imagery was created using tones of white, grey, and blue that match the natural aesthetics of the iPad. 

Additionally, the FUSION OF IDEAS creative team designed a customized digital home and lock screen for the iPads. The devices were also installed with digital content including images of hairstyles offered by the salon, applications that provide users with access to the latest fashion magazines, and social applications like Facebook and Instagram. 

Now used to entertain customers and further enhance the VIP experience Social Dry lounge, these customized devices with digital content are an excellent way to extend an experience into the customers’ hands by providing content that interests both the company and customers. 

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Continuing the Kidd’s Kids Tradition

For more than 25 years, Kidd’s Kids has taken children with life-threatening and life-altering conditions and their families on an all-expense-paid trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

For the ninth consecutive year, FUSION OF IDEAS has gratefully donated our app development and customization services to this amazing cause. Together with Best Buy and Microsoft, we provided and personally handed out customized Microsoft Surface laptops to each Kidd’s Kids family. Each laptop was personalized with trip information preloaded in the devices.

Customized Microsoft Surface laptops were presented to each Kidd's Kids family.
Customized Microsoft Surface laptops were presented to each Kidd’s Kids family.

The gift of technology is an impactful one for the families. The children use these devices for schoolwork as well as entertainment when they are in the hospital, and for some, who are nonverbal, technology devices are valuable communication tools.

Kidd Kraddick founded Kidd’s Kids in 1991 with a dream to make a difference in the lives of children and their families who were dealing with life-altering conditions. The Irving, Texas-based organization has sent over 4,000 children and their families on a trip of a lifetime to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

The FUSION OF IDEAS team and families onsite to help present the laptops.
The FUSION OF IDEAS team and families onsite to help present the laptops.

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Overcoming the Construction Industry’s Pain Points

Part of sustaining a business, no matter the industry, is staying current and rolling with change. In the construction business, many companies are held up with time tracking, offline capabilities, field data capturing challenges, which are the most common pain points in the industry. 

Because these challenges disrupt the daily workflow, a savvy software implementation to overcome these obstacles can be the difference between winning a project bid or not. 

While there are easy, off-the-shelf solutions to each of these areas, it’s not as cost-effective as you may think. SaaS spend and adoption continued to grow quickly across all company sizes. In 2018, the average company spent $343,000 a year on SaaS, a 78% increase from the previous year. 

A custom software, one that can tackle your entire workflow in one single app is customized for your business to help these common pain points:  

  1. Time Tracking – Time tracking in the field is a common pain point in construction. Even with time-tracking software, many solutions have a complicated user interface or depend on connectivity to the Internet.  
  2. Offline Capabilities – If you’re using web-based field software that doesn’t have offline capabilities, your workforce may be delayed in completing critical tasks like inspection reports and safety incident reports.
  3. Data Collection – Gathering and sorting essential business data can be a time-consuming task, especially when data is being collected in several programs or platforms. Chances are, the bigger your organization, the more apps or software your company may be using. And having data in various places offers more risk in errors when collecting data, which can hinder critical business decisions.
  4. Real-Time Communications – Communication is the backbone of all efficient operations. Improving communications can massively streamline operations and improve accuracy by allowing real-time communication between all members invested in a project on the field and at the office.