Windham Middle School (WMS) Altitude students took a trip to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital to donate books that they had collected on Nov. 25. This is the fourth annual book drive that the Altitude program has done for the Children’s Hospital, and this year, Altitude collected 132 books.
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| Students from Windham Middle School's Altitude Program collected books in November and then donated them during a visit to Barbara Bush Children's Hospital in Portland as part of the 4th annual Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital Book Drive for ill children last month. PHOTO BY MASHA YURKEVICH |
“We also made posters and posted them around the school and also went to the Windham Public Library to see if we could put a collection box there,” said WMS student Ava Arterton.
An Altitude teacher also posted about the book drive on the internet and ended up raising $230, which was then used to buy books at Shermans Maine Coast book Shop and Walmart for the book drive.
“If I were in a hospital, I would be very happy if someone thought of me and brought me a book,” said Angelina Malan, a WMS Altitude student.
“When I read, it calms me down and makes me feel better,” said student Lee Small. “Maybe these books can do the same thing for the children here.”
The students all agreed that it is important to help people in need and that it feels good to make a difference.
“A little bit goes a long way,” said McKenna Grass-Goodwin. “It is a big hospital and compared to how many books we brought, we did raise a lot but compared to how many children there are in this hospital, a little goes a long way. These books might just help these children feel a little bit more normal during this hard time.”
Some of the students went over to their teachers from the previous year to talk to the kids and tell them about what happens at the Children's Hospital and why they collected books.
"It was a lot about presentation skills, too, and the opportunity to think about others,” said Altitude teacher Lisa Anderson.
Altitude teacher Autumn Carlsen-Cook said that this book drive shows the students a larger community.
“A lot of these students have connections with either themselves who have been at the Children’s Hospital or family members who have been at the Hospital,” she said. “We are all about community at Altitude and this book drive helps the students serve their community as well as practice empathy and compassion.”
“It is a big confidence booster for these students,” said Sophie Simonson, Altitude teacher. “Doing something like this makes the kids feel good about what they are doing.”
Sharon Granville is the Child Life Program Manager at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, with a goal to help children experience emotional safety when they are at the hospital.
“We look to help children understand the ‘why’ behind their healthcare; why are they here, who is everyone that is caring for them, what is their role,” she said. “We look to provide that information to then support coping, with the aim and goal that these children then grow up to be an adult who seeks healthcare when they are not feeling well and are not afraid to see a doctor when they are sick.”
Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital is the only children’s hospital in the state of Maine and areas of northern New Hampshire, caring for pediatric patients of all ages from neonates up to older adolescents.
“We want children to enjoy something from home,” said Granville. “Doing something that you enjoy really makes a difference when you are staying somewhere that is not home, meeting all new people, and not feeling your best, so having things like books is fantastic. We are very grateful to the Windham School Program that comes and visits us with their book drive. Our library here is unique in that our books are gifts to the kids that are here.”
By partnering with community support, such as the Windham Altitude Program, the Hospital can continue to fill their library with a variety of books to offer children of all ages and developmental levels. Specifically for the holiday season, the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital has an Amazon Gift Registry that are specific items that children will enjoy during their hospital stay.
“We always welcome any community supporters that would like to select an item from that gift registry,” said Granville. “We also have a volunteer program where we look for a minimum of a weekly six-month commitment to volunteer with us on the pediatric unit, which includes having direct contact with children and their families, playing with them, arts and crafts, games, holding babies, and just helping children feel comfortable while they are here at the hospital.”
The Amazon Gift Registry can be found on the Barbara Bus Children’s Hospital webpage, as well as more information regarding the volunteer program. <
