For students at Gwynedd Mercy University, service is more than a requirement. It’s part of the culture.
That culture was recently on display when GMercyU’s Residence Hall Association organized a campus-wide donation drive benefiting Ronald McDonald House, which provides a home-away-from-home setting for families receiving care at the nearby Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“I wanted to do something that involved teens who are hospitalized,” said junior Krista Schofield, the RHA Community Service Chair. “I know what it is like to be a teen in the hospital. I was diagnosed with cerebral cavernous malformations during my senior year of high school.”
Schofield even committed to GMercyU from a hospital bed at CHOP.
Knowing first-hand how draining hospital life can be, she wanted to help teen patients feel more at home — and make their parents feel loved. She coordinated donation collections from GMercyU’s Nursing, Radiation Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Public Health, Psychology, Social Work, Speech Language-Pathology, and Biology programs. The RHA collected items such as pillowcases, posters, journals, plants, craft supplies, head scarves/beanies, fairy lights, lap desks, shower caddies, and picture frames — all to make hospital rooms cozier, comfortable, and more personal.
The RHA also collected blankets for parents staying with their teens. GMercyU’s resident students wrote cards for the parents and tied the cards to the blankets.
“My mission for this part of the project was for the parents to feel loved as well,” said Schofield, who is currently working toward become a Child Life Specialist for CHOP. “My mom stayed with me the entire time I stayed in the hospital, and I couldn’t have been more grateful for that.”
The RHA delivered the donations to Ronald McDonald House in late April. Thanks to the volume of donations, Ronald McDonald House decided to throw an event where the parents would create baskets for their teens using items from GMercyU’s donations.
“Working with Ronald McDonald House in Philly has been nothing but a blessing,” said Schofield.
Learn more about Gwynedd Mercy University and how it prepares students for successful careers and meaningful lives in a global society.
