Four classes of fifth-graders at Canandaigua Elementary School recently collected and donated nearly 70 DVDs to Thompson Health’s Surgical Care Center, providing a more varied selection of movies for children to watch during their stays at F.F. Thompson Hospital.
These DVDs were collected by the students as part of a community service project. At the suggestion of Amanda Harris, a fifth grade teacher at Canandaigua Elementary School, the students decided that their unused DVDs could help children feel more comfortable after having a surgical procedure at the hospital.
“They were excited to help, and expressed their own personal stories of when they had come to Thompson for various reasons. They too had watched movies for comfort,” says Harris. Her students and the students of three other fifth grade teachers – Kelly Godfrey, Laurie Henderson and Karen Samatulski – donated their G-rated DVDs to give children and their families a greater variety of movies to choose from.
Says Harris, “It is a gift not only to the kids but also to the amazing nurses who work at Thompson.”
“We’re touched by the efforts of these service-minded students,” says Donna Fulmer, nurse manager of Thompson Health’s Perioperative Services. “The children who come to Thompson will be able to enjoy a new variety of delightful movies, making their stay more comfortable and pleasant.”
Individuals and organizations interested in making a donation to Thompson Health are encouraged to contact the F.F. Thompson Foundation at foundation@thompsonhealth.com for a current “wish list.”