By Elora Brow
Staff Writer
Giving back to the community is one of the most valuable things someone can do. Sophomore Sophie Greenhouse recently started a club called “Prescription 4 Happiness” that will raise money to help decorate hospitals for the holidays.
Because the club is still in its early stages, Greenhouse has not officially decided what medical field they will be raising money for. According to Greenhouse, they would like it to be involved with pediatrics.
“We want to help decorate the pediatric floors in hospitals during the holidays to make them more enjoyable for the kids who have to spend theirs in the hospital,” Greenhouse said.
Greenhouse was inspired to start this club because when she was in the fifth grade, one of her best friends was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and had to spend Halloween in the hospital. This meant that she was unable to participate in all the festivities that all the other kids were enjoying.
“My friend was in a children’s hospital so they were really good at cheering kids up but I couldn’t even imagine what it’s like at a regular hospital seeing as they probably don’t put as much thought into the holidays,” Greenhouse said “I wanted to change that.”
In addition to helping her friend in the hospital, Greenhouse’s drive to bring joy to others started when the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took place, and she chose to give back some joy to those children. According to Greenhouse this event sparked her love for making people feel at home in a place that is as far from home as one could feel.
“After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting my friends and I made decorations for the classrooms in their temporary school in order to make the classrooms feel more comfortable while their other school was being rebuilt.” Greenhouse said.
Fifty-five people have joined the club so far, and most, such as freshman Sofia Valiani, are joining “Prescription 4 Happiness” because they have personal connections to people who have experienced holidays in the hospital and because they want to try to make peoples lives more enjoyable as they go through tough times.
“I’ve had lots of close friends and family who have had to stay in hospitals for long periods of time,” Valiani said. “Being stuck there is horrible, so going in and being apart of these kids lives and having fun with them is really important to me.”
The club is working toward holding multiple fundraisers to pay for the hospital decorations so that they can give the kids the best holiday that they can. On Sunday September 27, they held a bake sale where they raised over $300 for the club.
“We want to make the kids smile and I hope that the idea spreads and more people join in so that we can go to more pediatric centers to spend time with even more children.” Valiani said.
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