Brighten a Sick Child's Day with a Donation of Arts and Crafts
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All around the country, children sit in hospital beds, recovering from illness, and going through treatments for various afflictions. For many of these children, their day consists of being poked and prodded. They experience more pain than any child should. After all, childhood is meant to be full of laughter and happiness, not tears and sickness.
Fortunately for these kids, there are volunteer programs out there that look for ways to brighten the days of sick kids. Sometimes it's visitors from a local high school who entertain the kids for a day. Maybe it's a toy donated just in time for the holiday season. Or maybe it's the gift of arts and crafts. For kids who are laid up in a hospital bed, the creativity and beauty of arts and crafts can be just the thing they need to make them forget just for a moment whatever it is that put them in the hospital in the first place.
A donation can be simple, like giving the local hospital a supply of modeling clay. The children will get countless hours of fun working with the clay and coming up with all sorts of creations. The experience will be stimulating, allowing the children to work their minds and their hands. And there is sure to be a lot of laughing and interacting with the other children as everyone shows off what they've created.
Another option is to finish your own craft projects, like a homemade teddy bear, then donate the crafts to the children. Some of the kids in the hospital are not only sick, but unfortunate in that their family doesn't have the money to purchase holiday gifts. It's heartwarming to see the smile on a child's face that wasn't expecting a gift, but received one from a total stranger. You'll never see a teddy bear more loved.
And what a treat it would be if each child's room had a beautiful handmade vase? If making pottery is your thing, why not work with a local children's hospital to donate some of your kiln creations? Most hospitals should be ecstatic to have someone offer to donate such a unique item, something with character that makes a hospital room seem less like a hospital room.
Finally, if you love to interact with children, you can always organize an outing to a local hospital to teach kid's craft projects that the children can participate in. Creating rolled clay beads or glazing ceramic bowls will help each child break out of their daily routine of tests and medicine doses. Isn't a child's smile worth your time?
Whatever your arts and crafts donation-whether it's supplies, time, or money-you'll be sure you'll feel good once you're done. And you'll brighten up a child's day in the process, which means more than anything.
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