Miracle Ties Help Johns Hopkins Children's Center

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The countdown has begun.  You now have a little over two days to finish your Christmas shopping.

Ron Matz has more on a great gift that also helps a lot of children in Baltimore.

It's the 15th year for the Johns Hopkins miracle ties.  It's a special collection because the ties are designed by the young patients at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. 

"I did a fish tie, tropical fish. I did the tie because when I was in the ER we were doing ceiling tiles and I decided to paint a fish and add it to all the tiles in the emergency room," said Lexi Dembeck, designer of the fish tie.

The Children's Center receives the money from the sales.

"We cannot care for kids in the best way possible without these types of donations. A lot of things we do we cannot do without miracle tie dollars.  This year my staff was able to use money from the miracle ties to purchase a computer software program that generates pictures to help kids communicate who can't talk," said Patrice Brylske, director of the Children Life Department at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

Everyone is talking about Lilah Sidle's creation.

"I designed it because I'm half-Christian and half-Jewish, so I wanted a dreidel for Hanukkah and wreaths and presents for Christmas," said Sidle, designer of the dreidel and Christmas wreath tie.

There is a monkey tie and dachshund tie.

"Today more than ever people want to find the best match for their donation dollars.  Keeping them home with the miracle ties right here at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center couldn't be a better idea," said Brylske.

The ties are on sale at all JoS. A. Bank stores.

"JoS. A. Bank feels really privileged to be able to work with the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.  It gives us an opportunity to give back to the community in a way that really matters," said Alison Quinn of JoS. A. Bank.

"We still have kids who come for a short time, and then we have kids who stay with us for weeks and months.  They need to have activities, they need to play, they need to still do the things that kids do," said Brylske.

The miracle ties are $59. Sales have raised more than $800,000 since 1995.

For more information on where you can get a miracle tie, click here.