Mar 7, 2013

It was all smiles as students from College of the Mainland created a birthday party—complete with goody bags and homemade cupcakes—for patients at John Sealy Children’s Hospital at University of Texas Medical Branch.

After originally planning the party in a room at the hospital, the Geology Club realized that many children in the ward were too ill to attend, so they took the party to them. As they went to children’s rooms, they played with them and made clay imprints of their hands. They also decorated “pet rocks” with kids.

 “It was cool. A lot of parents were really happy we did that,” said Victor Revilla, Geology Club president.

The event was Revilla’s idea, and he and the others enjoyed interacting with the children.

“For those two hours, wherever we went it was fun and exciting,” said Veronica Sanchez, COM professor and the sponsor of the Geology Club.

The group also collaborated with Color Your Hearts, a nonprofit organization that makes and distributes art projects, and afterward helped distribute paintings donated by the Paint Pub in Houston to patients in the geriatric ward.
 
“They don’t get a lot of visitors. We gave them the card and painting and brightened their day,” said COM student Audrey McCambridge.
 
One patient was especially moved.
 
“I walked in and handed her the cards and painting, and she started crying and said I was the first visitor besides her daughter. She put [the painting] by her bed. I started crying,” said McCambridge.
 
The event is just one of the many outreach ideas that the Geology Club has implemented.
 
“They are very excited and very busy. They think of stuff to do and they plan it,” said Sanchez.
 
The group plans to visit again in March and create face masks.

“Everyone was truly touched by the event. We’re going to try to do it monthly. We want to make people happy,” said Revilla.