Chemo

Care
Kits

Frank W. Cox High

School
2425 Shorehaven Drive
Virginia Beach, Virginia

By: Brooke Moore

VTfT II Student of Mrs. Jennifer

Nardelli

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Executive Summary
The Childrens Hospital of the Kings Daughters (CHKD) is a
hospital located primarily along the East Coast with the main
hospital located in Norfolk, Virginia. Each day I pass kids who are
special needs whether it is at my internship school or even my
own high school. As a future educator I realized that I had the
opportunity of helping those in need at CHKD.
I am currently interning with a second grade class at
Thoroughgood Elementary School through my Virginia Teachers
for Tomorrow (VTfT) class. I had the idea to complete a service
project which later morphed into the idea of Chemo Care Kits.
Chemo Care Kits are goodie bags, created from donations, for the
children of CHKD. I decided to make these bags with my second
grade class because I have personally seen what the power of
CHKD can do for those in need. I wanted to continue working for
the hospital after the completion of my service project so I also
decided to make Valentines Day cards with my class. For this
activity, there was no lesson plan, but it was still a lot of fun!

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For the Chemo Care Kit activity, I incorporated two SOL

standards into the activity. The lesson was on writing a friendly
letter, and overall it went very well with my class. The activity as
a whole was awesome and the kids at CHKD appreciated the
goodie bags as well. I am so happy I had the opportunity to do
these activities with CHKD and I am glad I was able to incorporate
the students in my class as well.

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Background
This, Chemo Care Kits, project was one that was very close
to my heart. I have seen teachers and friends experience
hardships that have resulted in the sickness and death of
children. CHKD has made a major impact in their lives. . I wanted
to make Chemo Care Kits was because I really wanted to give
back to CHKD. This project was perfect for the holiday season
since it was completed right before Christmas. I know that not
every child receives gifts each year and being in the hospital
during the holidays can be discouraging. With my project, the
children were able to receive some sort of gift.
The impact of this project was even more than expected. My
class and I discussed other children their age and how not

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everyone is as blessed as they are with health or family. They

learned the significance behind CHKD and its benefits

Project Description
In determining the outline for my project, I played with a
number of different ideas from sending goods to the military
overseas to working with elderly. I started to conduct some
research on community outreach projects around Hampton Roads
but I really wanted to work with children and I already had a
connection with the Childrens Hospital of the Kings Daughters. I
immediately thought about the impact the project would leave on
the patients, as well as my class. I decided that Chemo Care Kits
would be the perfect opportunity for my service project.

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Details came together smoothly as well as the plans. The

two major details needed in my project included sending a letter
to parents asking for donations and teaching my class how to
write a friendly letter. At first, I was not quite sure what items
were allowed to be donated, so I decided to email an employee at
the hospital. She sent me a list of toys and games that were
acceptable, and from there the project took off!
Originally, I wanted to be able to deliver the bags to the
children at the hospital and take a picture of them so I could go
back and show my class how theyve made an impact in the lives
of these children. Unfortunately, because it is flu season, the
patients were not allowed to see visitors other than close friends
or family. This was okay because in the end my class was still
impacted as I expected.
Throughout the course of the project, I spent around 40
hours making lesson plans, collecting donations, organizing the
project, and teaching my class the objectives related to the
project. I was expecting a great deal of time to go into the
projects so it was not unexpected.

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The final products for CHKD were the Chemo bags as well as
the Valentines cards for CHKD. I was very pleased with how
everything turned out and I cannot wait to see what the rest of
the year has in store. I plan on continuing to work on the project
by involving my class in many different activities that benefit
CHKD which include creating more cards for the children at the
hospital as well as trying to plan another project with CHKD. I am
looking forward to what the future has in store!

Reflection
Creating Chemo Care Kits was one of the best decisions I
have made during my internship at Thoroughgood Elementary. I
learned that I really can do anything I set my mind to and make a
difference in the lives of others which makes me more eager to
pursue the teaching career. Throughout the project, I also learned
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more about CHKD such as the types of side effects produced from
chemotherapy.
As a project leader, I learned that organization is key!
Staying organized is the most important aspect when it comes to
planning a project and feeling accomplishment. Cooperating with
my class, as well as my teacher at Thoroughgood also showed me
that taking initiative is the first step to project completion. In
order to become a teacher I will have to use all of these skills to
ensure my class stays on track.
Personally however, the project touched my heart in a
different way. My SCA advisor felt the impact of CHKD after her
baby died a month after birth. I watched her go through this
tramatic event and now understand the impact CHKD leaves on
families. Because my SCA sponsor went through this event I now
participate in a Love Run each year. Love Run is a 5k race put
on by Cox and Princess Anne High School. Each year the race is in
memory of someone who has gone through CHKD and all of the
proceeds through the race are donated to the hospital.
Everything we do as educators and people has an impact on

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someone else. It is our job to make sure that it is a positive

impact.
Given the projects outcome, I think my time was well spent.
My students learned about the effects of chemotherapy and ways
they can help other kids their age. I did receive a thank you note
from CHKD and I was delighted to see how appreciative they
were.
The overall project was a huge success! I learned so much
about myself and about others from how to manage my time to
creating a project that benefits others. If I could have done
anything differently, I would plan the project in a different part of
the year (not flu season). This way, I could see the children
receiving the bags and be able to come back and show my class
how and who they have made an impact on. I can easily say that
those who have benefited from this project were surprised and
happy to receive a gift during the holiday season. A picture of my
class was published in the Virginian Pilots Beacon and in the Cox
High School newspaper as well. This shows the community how

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aspiring teachers like myself going through the Educators Rising

Program can make a difference.
I am so pleased with how the project turned out and I would
like to thank all of my teachers, peers, family, and students who
helped to make it a success. I could not have done it without
them.

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Artifacts

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