Rochester

Handmade valentines spread joy to sick kids

By Mary Beth Almond
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « Photo provided Catching Fireflies is collecting blank handmade Valentine’s Day cards for sick children at DMC Children’s Hospital. Photo provided Catching Fireflies is collecting blank handmade Valentine’s Day cards for sick children at DMC Children’s Hospital.

ROCHESTER — As a child, April McCrumb loved getting out her construction paper, scissors, doilies, glue and crayons to make homemade valentines for family and friends.

Now the owner of Catching Fireflies gift shop in Rochester and Berkley, McCrumb still loves to use her creativity to craft valentines for those in need of a smile.

For the second year in a row, Catching Fireflies — at 203 E. University Drive in Rochester and 3117 W. 12 Mile Road in Berkley — is collecting blank handmade Valentine’s Day cards, which will be delivered to sick children at DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

“I grew up loving to make valentines. … They are a fun way to spread love, so I thought it would be fun to encourage our customers — adults and kids alike — to get out their scissors, construction paper, and make some old-school valentines to help bring a smile to kids who really could use it, because who wants to be at a hospital on Valentine’s Day?” McCrumb said.

Last year, approximately 1,500 valentines were collected and donated, and McCrumb hopes to collect even more this year.

Catching Fireflies is asking the public to get involved by donating a blank handmade card or two through Feb. 12.

Deanna Scanlon, child life projects specialist at DMC Children’s Hospital, said the blank cards are made available to all staff and the children at the hospital Feb. 14.

“The staff sign the cards, and if they have any interaction with the children on Valentine’s Day, then they can give them a card. It’s really kind of neat because it gets the staff involved, and the kids are getting personalized cards from the staff members and people that they know and are involved in their care,” she said. “We also give the children these blank cards so they can sign them and give them to the staff.”

The project really has a big impact on the staff and the kids, Scanlon said, especially those in the cardiology unit.

“It does really make a big difference to the kids that are in the hospital because it normalizes hospitalization and brings something familiar to them that they can do on Valentine’s Day that they would be doing at school,” she added.

As a thank you to those who bring in three or more handcrafted cards and make a purchase, Catching Fireflies will offer a “joyful heart” necklace.

“To sweeten the deal and make it a little more fun, we have these lovely little necklaces that are handmade by an artist out in California. They are really simple. They have the shape of a heart and they have a little word, ‘joy.’ Joy comes from giving to people, so it’s just a nice little token to remember that they are spreading joy by taking time out and making a lovely valentine,” McCrumb said.

Scanlon said the Valentine’s Day project, which is one of her favorites, wouldn’t be possible without support from the community.

“We wouldn’t be able to do something like this without Catching Fireflies and support from the community because we’re a 228 bed hospital — that’s a lot of kids that could potentially be here on Valentine’s Day,” she said.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Mary Beth Almond at malmond@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1060.