The Grade 1 class at Hillcrest School, urged on by Canadian Olympic sprinter Sam Effah gained a partnership with the Estevan Lions Club to make stays at St. Joseph’s Hospital just a little bit easier for children and adults alike.
The young learners descended on the hospital on Wednesday morning to deliver a few dozen care kits to be gifted to patients or used by those spending time in waiting rooms and family rooms in the hospital.
When asked who had presented them with the challenge, the youngsters shouted out the name of Sam Effah who will represent Canada in the high profile 100-metre sprint in the upcoming Olympic Games in Brazil. The children had connected with the Calgary-born Effah through video links including Skype, they said.
Spurred on by the Olympian the class next issued an invitation to and heard a presentation from child patient Payton Sernick who has spent countless hours in hospitals tending to ongoing health issues. Those experiences made the Hillcrest youngsters even more determined so they sent a youthful delegation to a recent Estevan Lions Club meeting to make the pitch and they returned with $750 in supporting funds to build their kits.
“The funds that weren’t used this year from their efforts, will be used by next year’s class for a similar project,” said Sara Pippus, the school’s community education liaison.
Accepting the kits on behalf of St. Joseph’s were unit nurse manager Renee Goulet along with Kenzie Severson, Mandeep Kaur and Crystal Goudy, who thanked the youngsters for their thoughtfulness and assistance.
The students wore their special challenge T-shirts and were accompanied by teachers Annette Haselhan and Brian Hayes.
