Posters of Encouragement for children’s hospitals

Each year nearly 16,000 children are diagnosed with pediatric cancer in the United States. Many have multiple hospital stays for days, weeks or months at a time in local children’s hospitals.

Since January of 2015 we have spent many hours at Children’s Hospital of Orange County on the Oncology unit bringing entertainment to various events and to hospital beds for extremely ill children. When a child and family are confined to hospitals for long periods of time a little goes a long way. A visit, a friend, a gift, any small gesture means so much. This month we are not only making items for these children but are also raising money to bring more programs and entertainment to the children staying at local hospitals. First we will start with making posters of encouragement, which can be done for any hospital, anywhere in the country.

This month we need two things from our Ambassadors:

1. Gather some friends and make some posters of encouragement
2. SPREAD THE WORD ABOOUT OUR POSTER NIGHT/FUNDRAISER!

On Friday, June 26^th, we will be decorating posters for kids at CHOC with all ages. Elsa will be there to help our Pups and add some fun to the event as well. Then, get some food at Chik-fil-A after and 20% goes towards helping ISP raise money to help CHOC!

*PLEASE PRINT THIS FORM THAT NIGHT TO HELP PROCEEDS GO TO ISP! ANYONE AND EVERYONE WELCOME DURING 5:00-8:00pm!

Reflection Questions:

Pups:

1. Do you know what a children’s hospital is and what kids do there?
2. Have you ever been to a hospital before when you were sick? What was it like? How did you feel?
3. Do you know who we made these posters for today?
4. Do you think they will like it even though they haven’t met you? Why?
5. Why do you think it is important to be kind to kids we don’t know too?

All other Ambassadors:

1. What do you think when you think of a children’s hospital? What do you think it is like there?
2. Has anyone stayed in a children’s hospital before? What do you remember? What was it like?
3. Pretend you were living in a hospital for a couple of months and not able to go home. What do you think that would be like? How do you think you would feel?
4. What do you think would make you feel connected to the outside world?
5. What do you think would bring you hope?
6. Why do you think it is important to do something as simple as make posters for these children?
7. What do you think they will think when they get a poster made by someone they don’t know?
8. What would you think if you received one from another kid?
9. What did you enjoy about doing this?
10. What other sorts of things would you like to do for kids in hospitals? Why?

Supplies Needed:

Die-cut or pre-cut letters (some hospitals do not require but CHOC does), White poster boards, Markers, Stickers.

How to do this month’s Campaign:

1. Contact your local children’s hospital. Ask for the Child Life Services department or the hospital’s equivalent. Ask them what their requirements (if any) on making posters for the children’s rooms.
2. Determine what you can write. For Children’s OC, it must be one of these three: “Happy Birthday”, “Happy Transplant” or “Happy Last Chemo”.
3. Purchase the items above
4. Take regular-size white poster boards and use the pre-cut letters to spell one of these
5. Place stickers or draw around these letters to decorate. Theme them either boys, girls, or older boys, older girl or non-gender or age specific.
6. Contact your hospital to find out where you can drop them off for use for their patients.

IDEA BOX

School is out! Now is the time to keep kids productive and focused on the greater good. For Pups have an arts and crafts play date with the letters already glued on and have them place stickers on the posters. For Ninjas and up a movie night with pizza is a great way to get the kids together, do something good and have a night focused on compassion for others. Host your poster party with the intention of making it fun, yet impactful for the Ambassadors so they start off their summer wanting to dedicate time to helping others.