When I was first asked about what my passions are and what interests I had,many different things came to mind. I thought of dental hygiene, kids in general, Harmony House, nursing homes, poverty, and patients at St. Jude in Mercy. I have a desire and passion to help out in all of these different areas, but for right now, I have specifically focused in on the patients at St. Jude.
Lately I have been eager to make a difference in their lives. At first, I was scared because I had no idea what I could possibly do to help. After doing some research, thinking on my own, and speaking with the lovely ladies from MSU, I have come up with several ideas.
My initial idea was to simply go visit the patients so I could hopefully encourage them and just give them someone to talk to. I thought I could play games, do puzzles, and watch TV with them if they were going to be there for a long period of time. I thought this was an 'okay' idea but didn't feel as if it was very impactful.
Then the MSU ladies spoke to me about the possibility of having some people from school make cards for the patients, doctors, and nurses that I could take to them. It could simply say something like, "I hope you're having a good day! Thinking about you!" I feel like this could really bring a light into some of their lives.
I loved both of these ideas combined, but I was still curious as to what I could do. I searched St. Jude service projects and there were many things that came up! The first one I ran into was a story about Anna Stephenson. Anna also wanted to help St. Jude by raising money for the organization. It cost a ton of money to keep the facility and organization going. Anna designed a T-shirt that had her school colors on it and said, "Give to Life" on the front with the St. Jude design. On the back it has "It's what you do for others." She sold them for $15 and donated the money to St. Jude. Here is a link to see the rest of the story.
The next thing I saw online was the St. Jude website that had an entire section for volunteer opportunities including things like participating at the facility and at home activities. The at home projects included things like making craft kits that you can send to the kids so they have a fun activity to do. Or waiting room bags that include fun things such as crayons and coloring books, stickers, or play dough. The last idea for at home activities they had was to make mask straps. These mask straps are used to improve the comfort for the patients when they have to wear plastic masks. They provide
It sounds like you have a ton of ideas and they all sound really great. I really liked the homemade cards and the mask straps. I feel like those will really make them happy and help them be more comfortable. I think your goal is very inspiring and I hope you get to do all of your ideas. If you need people to make cards, I can totally help you out. :)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you know exactly what needs to be done and have many ideas concerning getting your goal completed. I like how you have further reading available and are so focused on this.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you know what you want out of this paper and i know that, thats exactly waht you will do. i know you always give your all and that you are a great writer so i know this paper will turn out great!
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! These at-home kit things sound great, and they're easy, while impacting someone's life in a thoughtful way:) Love it, and would love to participate in it.
ReplyDeletei love the card idea also! It'd be a fun thing to do in class as an option for those who already have their papers finished and work caught up!
ReplyDeleteBecca,
ReplyDeleteAh, Becca, you have such a kind heart! Honestly, I think whatever you end up deciding what you want to do will be great. I am curious if you have gotten to do any research behind how these acts of kindness affect patients, and those people who help the patients. I know you said in one of your other blogs you had been a patient yourself at St. Jude’s Hospital. Did you ever receive cards or have people come and talk to you like you said you wanted to do with others? If so, how did those people make you feel?—I’m sure they made you feel a little better! I guess you got me curious what studies say about what you want to do. ☺
Becca, I don't know if you'll notice this comment, but I wanted to tell you I hope you are feeling alright. After we talked about finding additional sources, I realized how unfair it was since it has been such a struggle to find what you need. The sources I was coming up with may have steered you from the direction you wanted to go. So I hope you see this. Don't worry about additional research. Let's look at what you have. Besides, you have put this together on your own, and others were able to share. So....get well! Hope to see you Friday! I can't wait to give you your letters from China!
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