Host Your Own Bag...
ST_ANDREWS_REEL Interested in hosting your own supply drive? Join the St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy and the 60+ schools, youth...
Read MoreVolunteer opportunities are available for Little Saints of all ages and in any of our chapter regions and can be magically created in your own community. Little Saints can participate in supply drives, gift bag packing events, fundraising challenges, and community outreach.
Volunteering by participating in your community or starting a local chapter brings more than smiles to the faces of children who really need them. In our volunteer programs, kids learn valuable life skills such as service to others, leadership, communication, organization, and public speaking, all while contributing in a meaningful way to the betterment of their peers.
Volunteering is easy. Just fill out this form to get started and one of our team members will reach out to you with next steps. If you are interested in starting or joining a chapter, hosting a gift bag packing supply drive and event, or have innovative ideas to enhance our programs in your community, contact us for more information.
People of all ages are welcome to join. We have had Little Saints as young as 2 years old packing gift bags. Most of our programs are organized by schools, youth groups, and companies, but honestly anyone of any age can attend or organize an event to give back to local healthcare facilities. Teachers, parents, kids, and community leaders are welcome to reach out to us to learn more.
Our signature Gift Bag Program started as a way to help kids cope with the fear and anxiety of their emergency department visit. Since its inception on Long Island, NY, it has expanded into hospitals across the United States and Canada. We have provided over 110,000 gift bags to kids in healthcare facilities since 2012.Today, these bags are distributed to every pediatric patient who enters the emergency or admissions department at a healthcare facility we work with every day of the year. We currently pack and distribute 3,000 gift bags on average to more than 10 healthcare facilities on a quarterly basis (*based on demand and available funding for the program).
Gift Bags contain items such as coloring books, crayons, stuffed animals, pop-its, stress balls, decks of cards, and handmade get-well cards made by kids, for kids. All items in the gift bag are vetted by staff and volunteers to ensure each item is appropriate and sanitary. These simple bags have an everyday impact by providing a positive distraction for patients, improving hospital employee morale, and empowering kids of all ages in communities to become future leaders.
When a patient is waiting to receive treatment at a healthcare facility, they receive our gift bag to immediately relieve their anxiety related to visiting a scary place. This relief is passed along to the family members of the patient and the treatment team who can connect with the patient about the items in the gift bag to alleviate the fear and stress associated with treatment.
After treatment has occurred and it is time for the patient to go to the comfort of their home, patients and their families can leave feeling like the facility did everything they could to make a scary experience for children more enjoyable from the moment they entered, all centered around a simple bag. Over the years, we have found that patients and their families grade their healthcare experience higher with this program.
ST_ANDREWS_REEL Interested in hosting your own supply drive? Join the St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy and the 60+ schools, youth...
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