NHS Hospital Visit: Beneficial for All Involved

Alyssa Raymond, Ginger Lucas, Kelly Austin, Emma Boland,
Rebecca Cooper, Sharlette LaPorte, Sam Muir, Grace Mchugh

March 25, 2016- Last Friday a group of eight energetic National Honor Society members spent their morning at UMASS Memorial Hospital volunteering in the pediatric wing.  This was the Tantasqua National Honor Society's second visit to the hospital so the President, Rebecca Cooper, knew how to come prepared.  She made up over twenty Easter basket-making craft kits for the volunteers to help the pediatric patients with and an Easter-themed storybook to read.  

Upon arrival four volunteers stayed in the playroom to play with the kids who could leave their rooms.  The other four got to take some craft kits, put on some protective gloves and masks, and visit some of the kids who weren't able to leave their rooms to go to the playroom.

Ironically the basket making turned out to be more difficult for the volunteers than the children.  One of the children in her hospital room was able to do it all by herself while the volunteers watched her with genuine shock because they still couldn't figure it out, according to Cooper.

Luckily, one of the veteran volunteers of the pediatric wing who had been volunteering every Friday for the past seven years saved the day with a simpler way to make the baskets in the playroom, as well as cutting out paper bunnies and ducks to color and put inside the baskets.  Not wanting to waste all the hard work their president put into the craft kits the kids and volunteers used them to make highly decorative crowns instead.  And these were a big hit with the children.

Cooper said even though it is always a challenge to bring enjoyment out of patients, the volunteers "did this very well."  They did a good job of "keeping [the patients] engaged and interested" so they would have a good experience.

Once their time with the kids was nearly over some of the volunteers noticed the parents of the children were actually taking naps while they played with the kids.  This made them realize just how big of an impact their visit had had.  Not only were they able to brighten the day of the children but also give their parents a break in a presumably stressful time.

The volunteers are so glad to have had the opportunity to bring a little joy to some of the kids, as well as give their parent a much-needed and well-deserved break.  And it was a wonderful way for them to spend their Friday morning off.

The National Honor Society will be going back to the UMASS hospital pediatric wing to read another story and do another craft with the kids this May.