Children at St. John's Church in Franklin made more than 80 cards to send to healthcare workers at multiple hospitals to thank them for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic, a gesture that did not go unappreciated by the staff at the hospitals.
The team of church school teachers at St. John's thought that inviting the children to create cards for essential workers would be a good way to keep church school kids engaged and remember some of the lessons and stories they had learned in the the past year.
Courtesy Photo
Staff in the clinical labs at Brigham and Women's Hospital--where COVID-19 testing takes place--hold up their cards of encouragement and thanks from the young people at St. John's, Franklin.
Amali De Zoysa, one of the teachers at St. John's, explained in an e-mail how the children had learned about loving their neighbor through the story of the Good Samaritan, and how this project offered the young people a chance to thank the "Good Samaritans" in their communities.
"The goal with sending the cards was to show the kids that they can be a 'Good Samaritan' and show love but also that there are so many other 'Good Samaritans' in our community," De Zoyza said. "In a time of so much anxiety and fear, being able to let the kids know that there was still God’s love shared through the 'Good Samaritans' who are taking care of others, loving and being near those who needed it the most, was important."
One of the groups that received cards from the children was the staff in the clinical labs at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), who took pictures of themselves with the cards and thanked the children for the meaningful gesture.
"The children are the real heroes here, their 'stay at home to keep you safe' sacrifice was surely difficult and scary for them. To use this time in such a creative and caring endeavor for people they do not know was so touching," said Margaret Lobo, head of the Pathology Lab at BWH in an e-mail. "The laboratory staff work meticulously but largely behind the scenes on behalf of patients and clinicians so this recognition was a wonderful surprise for them. Receiving these heartfelt cards of appreciation really made their day. If you could take a peek behind the masks in these photos you would see smiles a mile wide!"
--Bridget K. Wood