| Monday, December 19, 2005 |
| Rudolph - Unzipped |
Yesterday, my day was spent hosting a Holiday Party for over 200 children and their parent's and families. Not just any children, mind you, but our patients. Kids in wheelchairs, braces, body casts and halos. Kids on crutches, with canes, with artificial limbs, and plenty of kids running around on their own power because we were able to make a difference and heal them.
I had to call Security to unlock a storage room next to the auditorium so that Santa, Frosty, Rudolph, and the Elves could change into their costumes without little kids running in to them in the restroom. I was late getting to the podium to introduce Orioles legend Elrod Hendricks because I was busy unzipping a sweaty nineteen year old kid out of a terribly heavy, hot Rudolph suit. Housekeeping was called when an overly excited 4 year old decided to toss all her Xmas cookies on the floor, right next to the Oriole Bird mascot, while he was signing autographs.
The party is sponsored by the grateful parent of one of our kids and underwritten by Starbucks and Hollywood Video Stores. They do a superb job, and the food and gifts for the kids and their siblings were in great supply. Each kid got a large gift bag from Santa, with gifts especially selected for that child. They also got a HUGE stocking full of little toys and candy. The patient's siblings all got stockings too, and there was a "Take a Book" area, where kids could pick out their favorite books to take home with them. Thank goodness for volunteers. Our Child Life Specialists did all the organizing. I really just had to show up, introduce people, play emcee, and keep things moving. The kids had a ball, and I came home after 6 hours, more exhausted than I have ever been in my life. |
posted by Broadsheet @ 11:22 AM   |
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