We give up. We just
can’t do it. There’s no way. We’re sorry!
We bet you’re wondering, “What in the world are they talking
about?!” Well, there’s simply no way for us to express how you’re truly uplifting spirits, but we PROMISE
we’re trying!
You see, we have been trying to ensure that at least 3 of
the top artists and/or special groups get to come to the Cardz WITH Kidz event,
but that doesn’t mean every child is able to participate. At these events,
people have the opportunity to hand deliver their cards to patients and see the
kids light up when they meet the artist and receive homemade artwork. And while
that’s beneficial and uplifting, some of the kids are actually stuck in their
rooms due to their conditions. Based on hospital regulations, only trained
volunteers are allowed to go bedside, so we can’t take people up there. For
example, during the last Cardz WITH Kidz event, we had a trained volunteer go
up and recruit kids to come down and connect with artists. Sadly, one patient
was immobilized and could not leave her room. To boost her spirits, two artists
made sure to make a card for her before things got too hectic downstairs. After
the event, the volunteer went and dropped it off. While those artists were able
to experience the little kids down in the playroom dropping to the floor when
they got their custom cards, they didn’t get to see the patient and family
smiling brightly when they received
the card with her name on it.
It’s against the rules. We’re
sorry.
Even after starting an album on Facebook which included pictures
of the kids who weren’t able to go to the event, it still didn’t truly express
their gratitude. You can TELL the kids love your cards, but a picture simply
isn’t enough. There’s the whole saying about how a picture tells a thousand
words, but what about an experience? What about actually seeing the kids get
all giddy when receiving your cards? We were so excited when we started to
actually see families post these reactions on Instagram (Video 1, Video 2, Video 3),
but still that’s still a rare occurrence.
As we noted in the We’re
Thankful post, we’re constantly trying to show you when the hospitals send
their thanks. We even started a separate
album on our Facebook page for those exact pictures. Even so, it’s been
hard to keep up because we get so many emails and/or texts to post them.
The hospital staff absolutely love
reading your cards and it brightens their spirits, too! A direct quote:
“Seeing how this gift can touch
children of all ages, both each day and over time, will certainly bring SMILES and
LAUGHTER to those that need more of that in their lives and to those of us who
witness and help them each day. And I hope you know how the cardz that you send
each quarter brighten both the children’s time spent here and staff - I confess
I love looking at them before I pass them along! Thank you, thank you, thank
you!”
With all that being said, we don’t think you will ever fully
understand the difference you and your cards are making. Thankfully, you’ve
brought entire families to tears of joy during their most trying times. Although
some people may think of making homemade cards as a fun activity, they’re missing
the deeper point. They’re reaching people who are going through very difficult
times. So, in summary, we promise we’ll keep trying to write blog posts, take
pictures, quote families, and things like that, but at the end of the day we can’t
really put into words a way to help you understand YOUR FULL IMPACT on kids and their families when they need it the
most.
Please keep up the good work! You’re doing an amazing job!
#yourfullimpact #upliftingspirits
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