Children at the Maitland Cottage Children’s Orthopaedic Hospital in Newlands, now have a brighter, more cheerful environment to rest and recuperate, after corporates and volunteers joined forces with NPO, Blue Sky Society Trust (BSST), for Project #Heart2Hand.
Spearheaded by BSST, The Lion Match Company’s subsidiary company NSP Unsgaard and their brand Cherubs, and The Little Optimist Trust, Project #Heart2Hand was a month-long undertaking that gave parts of the hospital a makeover. They implemented upgrades to the value of R80,000.00.
As one of just two Paediatric Orthopaedic Hospitals in the Southern Hemisphere, Maitland Cottage Children’s Hospital performs hundreds of life-changing operations each year. The little patients range in age from birth to 15 years and they are treated for all forms of bone disease and disabilities. The hospital also treats children who are injured in motor vehicle accidents.
Certain areas within the hospital required some TLC so the #Heart2Hand team worked its magic, replacing flooring, providing new curtains and painting a happy, joyful mural on an outside wall to create a positive surrounding that serves as an instant “pick-me-up” thereby assisting with recovery and recuperation.
“It is truly humbling and inspiring to see such phenomenal results when a group of individuals and corporates work together, combining compassion and resources,” says Carla Geyser, founder of the KZN-based NPO, Blue Sky Society Trust.
“Cherubs has made it possible for us to give a sick child hope in terms of a happy environment to rest and recover, and this is incredibly rewarding and inspiring. I firmly believe that we have all made a small, though impactful, difference for these little ones.”
All the wards in the Maitland Cottage Children’s Hospital have an entire wall made up of glass windows which serve to “bring the outside in”. While this gives the children a bright, airy view of the sky, the mountain and trees, it also presented the challenge of too much sunlight or cold entering the wards.
Project #Heart2Hand provided 32 drops of quality, thick yet breathable, curtaining to keep the wards cool in summer and snug and warm in winter. The curtains are almost ready and the girls’ ward and the pre and post-operative wards will be kitted out over the next few days. The curtains have been donated privately by Dr Moonda.
When concern was raised that the state of the floor in the boy’s ward was not conducive to daily wear especially when little ones were being wheeled to the X-ray department or to the operating theatre, or when children were using walking aids, Polyflor and Teck Flooring jumped at the chance to help make a difference. They resurfaced and screeded the floor, giving it a complete upgrade.
In addition to helping spruce up the wards, Project #Heart2Hand has gifted 200 copies of Greg Bertish’s book, The Little Optimist, to the hospital. Bertish, who played an integral role in the upgrade, says the initiative was all about passion and belief.
“The Little Optimist Trust is proud to be the catalyst to do good and bring these amazing sponsors, volunteers and this project together. The new floors, curtains and the beautiful Little Optimist mural and books, will help to inspire these kids to get better quicker and go out and follow their dreams!”
Scenes from The Little Optimist have been lovingly painted on the wall outside the boys’ ward. A total of 37 metres of wall was cleaned and painted since the start of Project #Heart2Hand, thanks to Dekro Paints. Within weeks, the structure went from forlorn to fabulous as staff and volunteers from Cherubs and the hospital helped artist Chip Snaddon weave magic with paintbrushes. (See title image above)
“Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all who made this possible, all for the comfort and delight of our Little patients,” says Julie Scott, Chair of the Maitland Cottage Children’s Orthopaedic Hospital.
“We have been overwhelmed by the generosity, commitment and energy that has been invested in our hospital. The spirit of giving has been so tangible and the momentum has been incredible. Our children will get so much joy out of the beautiful mural and a lot more comfort from the new flooring.”
BSST’s Carla Geyser echoes this sentiment. “If we can help make their stay in hospital comfortable and perhaps all the more bearable by bringing about impactful, positive change, then our #Heart2Hand team would have achieved what we had set out to do.”
For more information on Blue Sky Society Trust’s Project #Heart2Hand, visit their website here.
Sources: Supplied (Press release)
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens.
Good Things Guy have recently launched #GoodThingsTV bringing you good news stories in a weekly video. Watch this week’s edition below:
by 