My name is Claire Chanfrau, and for my Independent Service Project, I worked with HLF’s longtime partner, New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. Birthdays are important to me. I know the birthdays of all my friends and family. I love celebrating with others and giving gifts. This was my inspiration for my service project. I came up with the idea of creating “Birthday Bags” for the children staying in the hospital. I wanted to create a gift for staff to give to patients spending their birthday in the hospital or to pediatric patients who need a little pick-me-up. Each gift bag includes “something you want, something you need, and something to read.” For my project, I raised close to $3,000 in donations.
The “Birthday Bags” were organized into three age groups: ages 1-4, 4-8, and 8-12, and separated for boys and girls. With my donations, I was able to create 36 bags, plus a few extra items for donation (lots of Play-Doh!). Each bag included a $25.00 Amazon gift card, plus a toy of some sort (“something you want”), fluffy/grippy socks (“something you need”), and books (“something to read”). The youngest group received two books, “The Napping House” and “Z is for Zamboni” (I had to put something “hockey”- themed in the bags!), along with a light-up rattle. For the 4-8 age group, their book was “The Day the Crayons Quit.” I also included a hockey activity book, movable suction robots, and Play-Doh. Ages 8-12 received “The Wild Robot,” a hockey activity book, and Legos. In speaking with the child life team at NYP, they gave me some ideas about what to include and what they see the children really enjoy. They said the kids love Play-Doh, Legos, dolls, rattles, and action figures. They were so excited to see these items included in the gift bags.
The books I chose for each group all have a personal connection. “The Napping House” was the book my parents read to me every night when I was little. When I started reading on my own, “The Day the Crayons Quit” was always my first choice. For the 8-12 age group, I asked my 11-year-old brother what his favorite book is right now, and he chose “The Wild Robot.”
I chose this project and the Child Life Team at New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital because I aim to work in the medical field. By working with hospital staff to bring a bit of joy to pediatric patients, this project allowed me to combine my love of birthday celebrations with my interest in medicine. I hope my Birthday Bags help bring some happiness, comfort, and excitement to the patients.
This was an incredible experience, and it was especially rewarding to see how grateful the Child Life Team was for the time, effort, and care I put into the project. Their reaction when I delivered the bags helped me understand that even a simple gift bag can make a meaningful difference for a child who is spending time in the hospital. They had so much fun looking at each bag to see what I included. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and to contribute to the important work the Child Life Team does for pediatric patients and their families. I also had the chance to speak with the team about future volunteer opportunities and what it would be like to spend time helping in the hospital. I am excited to continue building this connection and look forward to staying involved with the hospital in the future.
Written by HLFYA Claire Chanfrau
