Randall Children’s Hospital Visit Summary by Ariane Audett
September 6, 2018
Number of patients attended: 6 - 4 girls, 2 boys
Number of volunteers: 5
Our first visit to Randall Children’s Hospital was a huge success!
We had three “stations” set up at tables for the kids to rotate through as they entered activity room. The first station that they saw when they walked in was a table set up with all of the dress up supplies. The kids eyes would light up when they saw the display of superhero capes, masks, and sparkly crowns. We had tons of brand-new makeup provided by our generous sponsor Almay, and jelly-bean scented nail polish which was a huge hit for the girls, and even one boy who wanted his nails painted green. I had a group of awesome volunteers who loved to help the kids pick out their favorite superhero costume or crown to dress up in.
One 7 year old girl came in with her mom and requested she have both a pink superhero cape and a crown, so that she could be a “super queen.” She jokingly told her mom that since she was now royalty her mom would have to listen to her. Her mom laughed and said “good luck.” Everyone was laughing and filled with joy by the positive and contagious attitude that radiated from this young girl.
Once the kids were dressed up as queens or heroes of their choice, there was a Photo Booth set up with fun photo props set up for them to get their picture taken with our Polaroid camera. The backdrops for the photo booth included a princess castle and a superhero background. The kids loved the excitement of waiting for their photos to print out and develop before their eyes. The second station was a craft table set up with all kinds of markers, foam, stickers, jewels, and more where the kids could decorate a photo frame for their photo and take home.
The third table was designated as the “prize table” and definitely one of the favorites of the kids. After they were done with their crafts, they could pick out a gift bag and choose which one “big toy” and two “little toys” they want to take with them. The toys included things like coloring/ activity books, whiteboards, journals, puzzles, and games that could keep them busy during the long waiting times in the hospital. A lot of the toys were super hero or princess themed, which complemented the dress-up nicely. One little boy was so excited to find a giant robot action figure, he opened it right away and played with it the rest of the time.
We were super thankful for the hospitality of Randall Children’s hospital and the help that we got with our first visit to their activity room. The children had a great time and they left with big smiles, along with the parents/siblings that also got to attend. We are looking forward to the next visit!
