By Kelly White
Richards High School students worked together to bring comfort and warmth to pediatric patients during this chilly winter season.
Under the supervision of Richards Activities Facilitator Deborah Swanson, 70 students met after school on January 31 at the high school, 10601 Central Avenue in Oak Lawn, to make fleece comfort blankets for pediatric cancer patients at Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital at Christ Medical Center, 4440 W. 95th Street in Oak Lawn.
“I am a strong believer that one should always be looking for ways to give back to their community,” Swanson said. “This project allows students the opportunity to do just that. It allows students the opportunity to give back to people in need within their community. Also, many of the students can connect to this project because it’s kids helping kids.”
The program began more than a decade ago at Richards when a student’s mother who worked as a nurse at Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital started a club to make comfort blankets for pediatric patients. Students had so much fun helping out with the project, that the school decided to continue the project ever since.
“Making these blankets means providing a medium for the children to feel safe and seek refuge from their ailments and afflictions by providing them with something familiar, homely and comfortable,” Oasasumwen Okungbowa, 17, of Oak Lawn, said.
The students who volunteered their time were also able to gain service hours from the school’s Student Council, Bulldog Buddies, National Honor Society, LGBTQIA+ Community & Allies and Chess Club.
For some students the project really hit home, especially for Natalie Tadros.
“For me, from my perspective as a person who has been hospitalized twice, I feel like it would be a comforting thing for children to have,” Tadros said. “I’ve had surgery twice and been hospitalized twice, so I know the feeling of being under anesthesia and having to stay in the hospital. It’s one of those moments when people need a bright side to look forward to. I think a blanket would be nice for them; specially because all that is in the recovery room is a TV and all of the bedsheets are white. Having a comforting, colorful blanket would be nice.”
As Tadros said, the blankets is to serve as a security blanket; by helping to keep children warm during any form of treatment that make take place during their hospital stay, such as chemotherapy that may make them feel cold or afraid.
“It’s a touch from home,” Mateo Diaz, 15, of Oak Lawn, said.
All material for the blankets was provided by the students. They were able to pick out their own styles and fleece blanket designs from fabric at JoAnn Fabric or Walmart and were all handmade by cutting and tying the fleece material together in a square shape to form a blanket. The blanket patterns, which were very colorful, included creative patterns, animal patterns, and favorite cartoon characters or superheroes.
A total of 25 blankets were created. The number of blankets continues to proudly rise each year, according to school officials.
The blankets were delivered personally during the first week of February by Swanson and to the Oncology department at Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital. Children within the hospital will be able to pick out their own blanket from the selection.
“I feel like it would be better to make another person’s day, especially if you’re having a bad day,” Kurtis Thompson, 15, of Calumet Park, said.
