Warmth and comfort: students make blankets for young patients

More than 270 UIC students helped make 145 fleece blankets and personalized cards for UI Health pediatric oncology patients.

UIC students helped brighten the day of UI Health pediatric oncology patients by presenting them with 145 handmade fleece tie blankets and personalized cards.

Volunteers gave the blankets, which were made by 273 students, to patients at the Children’s Hospital University of Illinois.

“It was so great and touching,” said Crystal McIntosh, senior in teaching of English. “Almost as soon as we walked into the hospital, we were giving blankets to patients waiting. They were so happy and just kept saying how thankful they were and how warm and soft the blankets were.”

Students made blankets during the summer orientation sessions, Project LEAD and Make Mondays Matter events. Members of Alpha Phi Omega – Sigma Sigma contributed 59 blankets. All materials were donated by Student Leadership Development and Volunteer Services.

“We’re trying to make the hospital stay for them as bearable as possible, so we try to do a lot of projects for them,” said Kinga Mateja, manager of volunteer services at UI Health. “On behalf of our institution and our patients, I would like to thank all the students for what they did for our patients.”

Mateja wants to give students an opportunity to give back.

“In a small way you can brighten someone else’s day,” she said. “You can put a smile on a patient’s face, which by itself is just priceless.”