A Picture Says a Thousand Words
Our mission is “To provide a firm foundation for children to establish strong civic values” and it is our responsibility to see to it that a child is introduced to the Characters of Character however we can. We’ve visited schools, classrooms, community events, vendor fairs, libraries, homes, and hospitals. These messages are so important for a child to hear, to embrace and to grow into. Just before the Pandemic we were able to visit Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in Chicago with our character Self-Esteem Elephant. The message is “I Like ME” and to share this with the families on Family Day and to paint the character on canvas was really a beautiful experience for everyone involved.
As I sat a table filled with children patients, across the way sat a young girl looking like she didn’t want to be there. I walked over and introduced myself and asked her if she would come over and paint with me. She looked at her mom and mom shook her head and waved her hands to go ahead. She came over, we began to talk and she began to paint. By the end of the conversation I knew that she was the reason that I was there that day. She was so worried about going to a new school and starting Jr. High. We talked about being true to who we are and to remind our-self that we are pretty amazing ladies. She shared a lot of her emotions and feelings with me that day and thanked me for listening. I know that I made a difference that day.
Characters of Character has donated to the Huntley Hospital in Huntley, Illinois and we even brought our character Warm-Hearted Walrus to share the kindness. We have donated to Ann & Robert Lurie’s in Chicago, Rush in Chicago, Northwest Medicine Hospital in Woodstock, Huntley and McHenry in Illinois. We donated to the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville. Due to the Pandemic we were not allowed to actually visit with the children and therefore we began donating our Superhero Activity Boxes to a number of hospitals following their guidelines and to bring comfort and joy to the girls and the boys who had to be in the hospital. I actually Zoomed with the South Texas Children’s Hospital and we went over the contents of the box, the children painted the canvas and even got to meet Do’er Duck who shared the message of “Never Give Up” this made my heart so happy!
There is so much that goes into these donations, for example, we designed the colorful and sturdy box which is mailed. We need to order them in quantity for a discount, then if we have a sponsorship, we screen print their logo on the flap of the box so when it is opened, it says, “sponsored by” We designed badges of each character and named them Agents, we laminate these and attach them to a Characters of Character lanyard. We purchase the superhero felt mask and place these two items in a cellophane bag to limit germs. We screen print on each canvas with the message of I AM SUPER for the child to paint or color and display on the easel that is also included in the box. We purchase crayons and watercolor paints to include in the box. We designed a greeting card and then autograph each one with a character name for each box. We also designed a Superhero Activity Book for this project. When I say we, it’s actually my daughter, Jennifer Downey who has been a huge blessing with our organizaiton sharing her design work and passion to make a difference. We next fold each box, fill them and ship them to the location feeling confident that they will cheer a child! As soon as a child receives this they can engage in the activities!
The above is actually the easy part! Characters of Character works tirelessly seeking donations for this project and also meeting new people in hopes of a Sponsorship to be able to mail out a larger quantity of the Superhero Activity Boxes. We have seen the impact that these boxes have, we have heard the appreciation and we have felt the welcoming of each and everyone of them. They say it takes a village and I believe it to be true. There is so much time that goes into being able to donate these Superhero boxes, but, knowing that they are making a difference in the life of a child is worth each and every second.
There have now been requests from the Emergency Departments for these which keeps us fundraising and reaching out. Knowing that because they calm a scared child in chaos and helps bring a moment of peace for a scary time will keep us reaching out. Please, visit us online to learn more about our organization and consider a donation, a sponsorship or even a cup of coffee for us to share our work with you! Lets make the world better, TOGETHER.