For A Day Foundation Event Report
Date: May 10, 2017
Location: Nicklaus Children's Hospital
Volunteer Team: agencymarketingmachine.com
Volunteers: 13 people total
Titleholder: Miss Homestead, 2017

Girls: 5
Boys: 5

Summary:

We had many firsts at this event, and like all our events, was very special. This was our first time hosting our party in the new event space at Nicklaus Childrens Hospital. It's a much larger open space, where foot traffic is high and we are able to have much more visibility. We are able to welcome more children that are there not just as patients, but as siblings, and children coming into the hospital for other services. Another first for our chapter was partnering with a corporate volunteer group. The kind people at Agency Marketing Machine, were gracious enough to attend our event and work one on one with the kids. We even had two volunteers dress as superheroes, which was a big hit with the kids and even the staff. We had many parents, doctors, nurses, and of course, kids come and take photos with Batman.

The event started off a little slow, but it was still very special and really allowed for one on one attention with the volunteers. We had some very special children come through from all areas of the hospital. The event brought joy, and a much needed distraction to the children as well as the parents. You could see how grateful the parents were to have a much welcome distraction and fun event for their child. It really makes it worth it to see the kids having fun and enjoying themselves in an otherwise very challenging situation. Batman, Miss Homestead, and I were invited by some parents to come visit their children in their rooms. This was so special as we were able to see the kids light up as they saw this super hero come bearing gifts and crafts for them to do once we left. Our volunteers were amazing and ready to greet the kids with a smile and walk them through the event. I am so grateful for their willingness to make this a stellar event for the kids and families

We left the remaining goodie bags to be distributed throughout the hospital for those children who were not cleared to participate or who were not feeling well enough to come. On a personal note, leaving these bags behind was very important to me. In November of last year, my daughter was hospitalized for 4 days, and I had a completely different perspective on the events held in the hospital. I was able to see things from the other side, as the patient and not the host. I appreciated every single craft, toy, and activity that made her hospital stay a little less scary. Every smile that was put on her face by child life services and organizations like FDAF, really made me appreciate what we do and WHY we do it. I am so grateful to pass along a little joy to the kids in their time of need.