SJC Long Island’s student-run club Project Sunshine created more than 20 care packages to send to people working within the medical field.
“Throughout the past year, healthcare workers have guided the world through the pandemic, and we hoped these care packages would bring some joy and comfort to their day,” said Taylor Hanscom, club president and a senior nursing major. “This effort also allowed Project Sunshine to expand our outreach to not only pediatric patients, but to the individuals that care for these patients every day.”
The St. Joseph’s club is a chapter of the national organization under the same name that aims to bring happiness to pediatric patients across the United States.
During the club’s first meeting of the semester, nearly 50 members gathered to assemble the care packages, which include donated items such as snacks, socks, notebooks, lotion and various additional supplies, as well as handwritten thank-you cards from club members. The parent organization paired SJC Long Island’s chapter of Project Sunshine with a unit at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, where the care packages were shipped last week.
“I hope the recipients are inspired by our messages within the ‘thank you’ cards,” Hanscom said. “I also hope the care packages brighten their day and bring comfort to them during challenging times.”
As a future nurse, this initiative hits close to home for Hanscom.
“I was inspired to pursue this field after caring for a family member at a young age,” Hanscom said. “This passion has grown through several volunteer efforts and organizations I have been fortunate to be a part of over the past several years. I have also been inspired by the valiant efforts of countless healthcare workers during the pandemic, which has further expanded my passion for the field.”
As passionate about service as she is about the field of healthcare, Hanscom also holds an annual garage sale to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Over the past 12 years, she’s raised nearly $20,000 for the hospital.
