Niniveah Robinson and Mason Bonnette were recipients of two of the cards.
Fourth graders at Central Elementary School hand-made Christmas cards last week for Miss Minden Abigail Reynolds to deliver to pediatric patients at Christus Health in Shreveport.
Reynolds delivered the cards Monday, with about 40 of them specifically made for and will go home with certain families, she said.
“The children will get the cards when they are done for the day with physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech therapy,” she said, adding some of the cards made will go to area nursing homes for residents there.
The cards were made for Children’s Miracle Network patients at Christus Health.
“I wanted to give students in Webster Parish a chance to participate in what I’m doing,” Reynolds said. “Margo Clendenin, program director for CMN hospitals at Christus Health contacted me so I could see where the fundraising goes. I wanted to give the children in Webster Parish an opportunity to be a part of what I get to see and get to be a part of.”
During her visit Monday, she visited with several pediatric patients and was given a tour of the new additions to the hospital, The Birthplace and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
“The point of The Birthplace is the efficiency and layout,” she said. “It’s for the families. It’s hard emotionally and physically, and it’s laid out where new mothers can stay with their children. It’s all about comfort. There was one baby in the NICU, and if there is a baby that needs special care, it’s there. It was really a special experience.”
During her visit, she learned that St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and CMN work closely together, and with Minden raising so much money for St. Jude, she wants to bring awareness to CMN as well.
CMN is the signature charity of the Miss Louisiana Organization. Reynolds’ goal is to raise money to be used to enter the Miss Louisiana pageant. Christus Health’s pediatric unit deals with treatments other than cancer.
“They really work hand in hand, specifically in northwest Louisiana,” she said. “Christus Health does the adult cancer treatment, so they don’t have a pediatric cancer treatment center because St. Jude works so closely with them. It’s really cool, because St. Jude is so big in Minden, and we love helping people in Minden. We raise so much money for St. Jude. It combines everything that I’m really about, and I’m doing my best to support them to the best of my ability.”
Before the Miss Louisiana pageant in June, Reynolds said she wants to host a 5k run to raise money for CMN.