Meet Andrea, a Project Sunshine Corporate Volunteer and Managing Member at Tromberg, Morris & Poulin, PLLC. Last month, she dedicated her time to volunteer at our Winter Wonderland themed Here to Party event hosted at Quantum House in Florida. Our Here to Party in-person events allow corporate teams to bring joy to pediatric patients through craft activities and games. Read on to learn about Andrea's experience at Quantum House.
The experience we had helping and participating at Quantum House was amazing. Each of us left with a sense of pride and humility knowing that children and their parents are dealing with such difficult medical and emotional journeys, but still had the ability and strength to smile and have fun with something as simple as arts and crafts.
My favorite moment is hard to pinpoint, because there were so many, but one specifically was from a little boy in a wheelchair. As his mother wheeled him to the art table, he started to get agitated and expressed that he did not want to participate in doing art. I assumed he was in pain and just did not want to play, but then I asked him if he preferred playing a game with a ball, and he lit up. He got out of his wheelchair to sit in a regular chair where he played for almost two hours. This was incredible to me. Despite his struggles to find a comfortable position in the chair, he was determined to throw the balls as many times as possible. Our employees were more than happy to chase the balls, and let him throw them over and over, just to see him smile and laughing.
Our time at Quantum House with Project Sunshine gave us a break from our daily stress from work and allowed us the opportunity to acknowledge others that are dealing with more than just a stressful day. Our time spent with the children was incredibly rewarding; their resilience and joy in the face of adversity was truly inspiring. In the end, we received far more than we gave. When we returned to the office, other staff members heard about our day, and hoped to have a chance to participate in the future. I know Project Sunshine will continue to be a part of our firm for years to come.
We're grateful to partner with companies passionate about bringing joy to children through off-site events. If your company is interested in hosting a festive, themed party for pediatric patients, visit our Corporate Partnerships page to learn more about this direct service opportunity.