Children at Ronald McDonald Houses in six states and a province in Canada will benefit from the generosity of the North Platte Community College Knights Softball Team.
Families with children who are seriously ill or injured can stay at Ronald McDonald Houses for little to no cost while the children are undergoing medical treatments. Because many of those families will be unable to return home for Christmas, the Knights decided to do something special for them.
The team colored pictures and created Christmas cards for Ronald McDonald Houses in Nebraska, Iowa, Utah, California, Colorado and Canada – all the places team members are from.
They also sent a box to a Ronald McDonald House in Seattle, Wash. because their charity was inspired by a little boy who is staying there – Tavish McCosh, a 3-year-old battling leukemia.
The Knights saw McCosh’s story on the Internet. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments, and the one thing that brightens his day is checking the mail – although there usually isn’t any mail for him.
His parents decided to put a request out on Facebook asking for Christmas cards for McCosh, and soon the mail was streaming in.
“That got the team to thinking,” said Janelle Higgins, NPCC head softball coach. “There are probably a lot of other kids just like Tavish whose days could be made a little brighter if someone just sent them mail.”
The Knights created a special card for McCosh thanking him for being an inspiration to others. The boxes they mailed to Seattle will be delivered directly to him so he can hand the gifts out to other children in the Ronald McDonald House.
In addition to the pictures and Christmas cards, the gifts include handmade stocking caps, candy and a team card signed by all of the Knights. There’s enough for every child in the Ronald McDonald House.
“We all have difficult days – with workouts, finals, being away from home,” said Higgins. “I always challenge the team to ask, ‘Is this a hard time, or is it just life?’ Typically, for us, it’s just life, but we all know someone who is struggling with something big. That’s why we want to reach out to those who are suffering. We will probably never know the impact these gift boxes have on the children they are going to, but if they bring one smile, then it’s worth it.”
Two team members, Erika McClung and Sophia Kiss, both of Victoria, British Columbia, will hand-deliver boxes to their local Ronald McDonald House when they return home for the holidays.