This week’s volunteer activity was set up and performed by MaKenna. These are her words:
I have been wanting to do something to impact kids in a local hospital. This week, I finally was able to make it happen. My friend and I made the decision to make blankets and bracelets to be delivered to the children at Lutheran Hospital. I just love to see people’s reactions to the gifts. That is probably my favorite part of helping others.
Making the blankets was really stressful in the beginning. It was taking us much longer to make a blanket than we had planned. We only got 2 blankets completed in the first hour and with each passing minute came more stress. In the end, we completed the task of making seven blankets.
I also wanted to make the children some bracelets. I am constantly making bracelets for myself and rarely do I give any to others. I thought that this would be another good way to bring a smile to a face in the hospital. It is awesome when you can do what you enjoy doing for a good cause. It really makes it a lot easier to give back.
On our way to the hospital I worried that we were not going to have enough blankets for everyone. I really hoped that we did because I did not want to leave anyone out. It was exciting to start handing our the blankets. It was great to see the looks on the faces of the kids when I gave them one. It is hard to see kids my age in the hospital. So many of them are fighting a battle that they may never win. One little girl was struggling with cancer. It was obvious that she was really sick and that she felt terrible. That didn’t keep her from smiling though. Even with the pain and sickness she found reason to smile. When we told her that we had bracelets she said “Are they better than the ones I already have on?” Of course, she was referring to the hospital band and allergy tags that circled her wrist. We gave her a blanket and 3 bracelets and her eyes lit up which put a big smile on my face. She was so grateful and very happy considering her situation. It warmed my heart. She, by far, was my favorite part of the day.
I think other people should do projects like this because it is so easy to make a child smile. It didn’t take us very long to make and delivery these gifts. We spent just a few minutes with each child. Each minute was important and each minute created a smile. And that is what it is all about.
impact52.org 