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Existing Project

Project Superkid

Betel Tenna & the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Volunteer Junior Staff team

Maryland

Every year, approximately 5,820,000 children are admitted into the hospital. Unfortunately, children who have increased hospital visits may deal with anxiety and personality disorders and, in extreme cases, PTSD. Project Superkid brings together volunteers to make superhero security blankets and cards for hospitalized children in our community in amelioration of the various long term emotional impacts of childhood hospitalization.

www.projectsuperkid.org

Updates from Project Superkid


June, 2020
Every year, approximately 5,820,000 children are admitted into the hospital. There is no question that hospitals can be intimidating, especially to young children. Unfortunately, children who have increased hospital visits may deal with fear of doctors, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, and, in extreme cases, PTSD. This issue hits close to home for the Project Superkid team as one of our very own Hugh O’Brian Youth (HOBY) Maryland volunteers is a survivor of pediatric open-heart surgery. She has since been managing an anxiety disorder and a fear of doctors, which has made it difficult for her to continue to seek medical treatment.
The biggest problem with pediatric patients is that they need a way to feel safe and strong in the hospital, and we strive to do just that. Project SuperKid aims to create cape-like blankets that will allow pediatric patients to feel like their favorite superhero: strong and able to overcome any obstacle, including their illnesses. Project SuperKid helps each child face their Kryptonite.

We work together to support this project and our community by making superhero blankets and cards for hospitalized children in hopes that they will have a more positive experience. We are so excited to have the opportunity to support our local children through the Call for Kindness and further develop plans to expand our program in order to reach more children in need.

This fall, instead of our usual 200+ Hugh O’Brian Youth (HOBY) volunteers, we will have about 30 dedicated (HOBY) volunteers who are also alumni of the HOBY Leadership Seminar program. In order to operate within the re-opening and social distancing guidelines of the State of Maryland, we will work with less volunteers in a larger space and implement careful procedures to prevent contamination. Later, we will upload photos of the all-day blanket-making event in addition to hospital visits and blanket disbursement. Stay tuned!