Several years ago, Gracie wanted an elf. All her friends had one, she wanted to experience his magic. Gracie is not my child, but rather she belonged to one of my besties who was suffering from an extreme case of pneumonia and the flu. It was a scary, horrible time for her and her family. So as any good friend would do, I got Gracie the elf she wanted and told the grandmother what she was supposed to do with it.
Gracie is not any different than any other child. She loved and missed her mom like crazy, but her sweet, wide-eyed kid self, didn’t want to miss out on any of the fun. Whether you have a sick parent, or the child is the patient, kids should get to be kids, just like everyone else.
When I created Chipper, a holiday turn-key activity kit, I wanted to help busy parents spread some creative, simple wonder for the holidays without the stress. Not everyone has the time or the creativity to make snowball fights in their kitchen! Parents of sick children are dealing with a whole different level of stress and time constraints. Who really cares about kitchen snowball fights when you are struggling with fevers and hospital stays?
From Chippers early days, one of my goals has been to provide a smaller turn-key kit to be used in the hospital setting. Since all kids should be able to have a little fun, I wanted to help parents bring a little Chipper cheer to them. I’m excited to announce that some families staying at the Ronald McDonald McDonald House of Charlotte received a special, limited edition Valentine’s Day Chipper Box. Parents were able to surprise their kids at the RMH or transport the fun to their hospital bedside for 6 days in February. A little way to bring some creative, simple wonder to the kids who need it most.
Chipper is excited to make new friends 
Lemon Dog gets in on the action Chipper arrives to create simple wonder
If you are local to Charlotte, check out the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte. There are several opportunities for your whole family to give back and volunteer together. www.rmhofcharlotte.org If Charlotte is not your home base check out www.rmhc.org to find a chapter near you.
Help your kids and families be Merry Makers 365 Days of the year.