OUR RAYS OF SUNSHINE
In a room bathed in the winter sunshine streaming through the large windows nearby, our 80 or so volunteers shone even brighter than those beams.
Among those brightest rays on this Have A Heart Day were our hostess and her son. And talk about the perfect hostess.
Rachel Wong, pastor of Linglestown Life United Methodist Church, was not only welcoming, she was in the thick of the action, hard at work designing Bags of Smiles for our hospitalized kids.
“This is awesome,” Rachel said of Caitlin’s Smiles and our annual daylong volunteer gathering of all ages. “I love that there’s a place for helping kids who are ill.”
Her partner sat next to her. Her 5-year-old son, Ronan, proudly held up his artwork – a dinosaur on one of the white bags. He was already a veteran at helping others. Mom said he had made cards of encouragement at his preschool.
“As a mom,” Rachel said, “if I were in that situation (with an ill child), I would be glad that there is something like this to make kids smile.”
Ava Tenny was putting the finishing touches on her colorful drawing of a flower under a shades-wearing summer sun on a new Bag of Smiles.She is a veteran volunteer, mostly through an organization at nearby Cumberland Valley High School, where she is a senior.“We have a club that offers many volunteer opportunities,” Ava said. “We get some volunteer hours for what we do. I do mini-thons and other things (for charity). So I understand this concept.”
That’s what makes Caitlin’s Smiles and Have A Heart Day special to her.
“This is amazing,” she said. “Through volunteering, we’re spreading love through arts and crafts.
“It’s comforting. I know it’s comforting for me.”
‘THIS IS GREAT’
Have A Heart Day was a first for Emily Kreps and her 7-year-old daughter, Sonja.
They were joining in as part of American Heritage Girls, who are credited with service hours for their volunteering.
“I didn’t know a whole lot about (Caitlin’s Smiles),” said Emily, of Harrisburg. “We had done things as a group before, like making quilts for kids in hospitals.”
As Emily spoke, Sonja designed a Bag of Smiles.
“This sounded like a neat thing,” Emily said. “This is great, helping to brighten kids’ days.”
‘AMAZING’“She’s branching out from frogs and bears,” Marisa said with a laugh, referring to the shapes that Lily, a sophomore at Camp Hill High School, had been creating as cards with half-sheets of construction paper and markers at Have A Heart Day.
Marisa has been helping to bring smiles to our kids as a volunteer for “a couple of years.” As she spoke, she hadn’t “branched out” to bags yet; she was using a green marker to draw eyeglasses on a green frog card.
“I think this is great,” she said. “It’s amazing that (Caitlin’s Smiles) has grown so much. So many kids help with this.”
Lily noted the size of this volunteer mission.
“I think it’s amazing how willing people are to help the kids,” she said.
WHAT A GREAT MISSION’
There was more than designing Bags of Smiles going on at Jeannie Billett’s table. From the looks of it, these ladies were having plain, old fun.
“It’s nine of us on a girls activity,” she laughed, although only four of them were at this table. “No name for us yet. That’s a TBD.”
It was the first Have A Heart Day for Jeannie, and she obviously loved being part of it.
“A friend was in the hospital as a child and activities were delivered to her from Caitlin’s Smiles,” Jeannie said. “This is very good. I love the activity. I’ve loved interacting with the kids (she met at this event). It was joyful. They helped me with my drawing and imagination.”
“This is great,” Beverly Munchel-Kierit added.
To Sarah Axtman, “It’s all about the mission.”
“What a great mission,” said Sarah, a member of Linglestown Life United Methodist Church, which hosted Have A Heart Day. “What a great way to serve all ages. You know that you’re creating a lot of joy.”
For Cara Redmond, part of this crew who was sitting nearby, Caitlin’s Smiles has been a family affair.
She said it all started when her daughter was in Girl Scouts and they did a service project for us. Now her husband, John, is vice president of Caitlin’s Smiles’ Board of Directors.
“It’s been a part of my life for 15 years,” Cara said. “And it’s fabulous. What Cheryl has been able to do is heartwarming. It’s inspiring.”
HELPING OTHERS
The way Kathy Baddick saw it, Have A Heart Day was a “great fit” for the four young Girl Scouts she and Karen Molchanow brought to volunteer.
“We’re always trying to find service opportunities,” Kathy said. “This is a great fit for the girls. They love arts and crafts.”
But on this day, all the activity meant even more to the the three sixth-graders and one third-grader.
“It’s the mission,” Karen said. “It’s what they do for kids.”
The Scouts agreed as they decorated Bags of Smiles.
“I think it’s nice that they’ve put together an organization like this to help kids,” Abby Baddick said.
I like it,” Katie Shivers said. “It’s nice to be helping others. My grandmother died of cancer, and it’s nice knowing that people are helping other people who are sick.”
Alexis Shivers, the third-grader, had a view beyond her years and beyond her table where a group of young volunteers were assembling craft kits.
“I like that people are helping children who are in hospitals,” she said. “and that the kids aren’t just sitting in hospitals but are making crafts that others made for them.”
To Zoya Kakra, this was “a lot of fun.”
“I really like it,” she said. “We can help bring smiles to others.”
A WINNING TEAM
BAND OF BUDDIES
A WINNING TEAM
A MOM GIVES BACK