Many of us have experienced some type of hospitalization or know someone who has– especially having lived through the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that those hospital stays can last from just a day, and up to several months, or even years. They can be for reasons as little as a sore throat, or as big as a life-threatening illness.
Something we may not be familiar with is that “Each year in the U.S. there are an estimated 15,780 children between the ages of birth and 19 years of age who are diagnosed with cancer. Approximately 1 in 285 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer before their 20th birthday. Globally, there are more than 300,000 children diagnosed with cancer each year” (ACCO).
Fleece and Thank You is an organization whose goal is, “to provide every child facing hospital treatments with a colorful, comfortable fleece blanket and a video message of support from its maker” (Fleece and Thank You). This past Saturday, The Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center invited UIS students to make fleece blankets and record personalized videos for children who are currently facing hospital treatments. The instructional video at the beginning of the event referred to these children as “heroes,” and UIS students as their “sidekicks.”
Students who made their way to the event despite the cold, gloomy weather, were able to provide comfort and a pop of color to children who are currently spending their early childhood days in cold, gloomy hospital rooms. Students worked in groups of 1-4 to cut strips of fleece and tie them together. They then rolled up the new blanket nicely and recorded their video. It was the joy of our campus to provide even a small amount of hope to a future college student.
