Once the month of February, 2012 was on its way, so was the Random Acts of Kindness project in Mrs. Saraphanian's Grade 3 class at Ascension Catholic Elementary School in Burlington. Mrs. Saraphanian proposed a challenge to the class: How can we put a smile on a person or a group of peoples faces 'just because'?
What a perfect time to plant the seeds of kind thought in children who really are enthusiastic about it. The class ran with the challenge and came up with all sorts of ideas, but one really stuck and hit home. A couple of years ago, Ascension lost a brave little soul, Jordan, to brain cancer and many of the students were aware of the hardships that Jordan went through, visit after visit to McMaster Sick Kids Hospital.
As a class, the students talked about how fortunate they are to be able to come to school and learn and play with their classmates, in particular being able to read and listen to others read their favourite books. Each student in Mrs. Saraphanian's class chose their favourite picture book and recorded their voices to make a DVD compilation of children's stories. The DVD flipped through the pages of each book, while the students read their hearts out.
The care package included a portable DVD player, earphones and a DVD to entertain sick children particularly on the oncology ward, where Jordan spent a lot of his time. "I hope the kids really like it, I wish we could see their faces," remarked one of the boys excitedly. One of the girls in the class summed it all up when she said, "Now those kids can have a reading buddy read to them, just like if they were at school."
The students were so proud and were thrilled when they got a message from a Child Life worker from McMaster Sick Kids Hospital sharing how happy the children were to receive the donation. Mission accomplished ... a tiny bit of kindness goes a long way!