Hi everyone! 

My name is Kacie Conant and I am a senior at Shrewsbury High School. I used to volunteer at UMass Memorial Medical Center until COVID-19 put an end to that, like many other things! 

Still wanting to stay involved with the hospital, I contacted the Leadership Giving Officer in the Office of Philanthropy to see how I could contribute. She made me aware that there has been a large increase in pediatric emergency room visits related to mental illness which are leading to extended hospital stays.

Mental health has been an important topic in Shrewsbury throughout this year. As we continue to deal with COVID and other challenges, it is common for one’s mental health to be affected. Students have it difficult this year as we are learning a large part of our school curriculum from behind a screen, while being stripped of almost all social interaction and personal relationships that typically come with school. By being deprived of these experiences, it's easy to feel alone and overwhelmed by school work and any other curveballs that life may throw at us during this time of uncertainty. 

Due to Covid restrictions at the hospital, I have also learned that children who have been admitted for mental health reasons can only have one person visit them during their entire inpatient stay. Hearing this has motivated me to raise money to help the hospital purchase Squishmallows for these children so they can always have something comforting by their side.

For those of you who are not familiar with Squishmallows, they are super soft and squishy stuffed animals. The pediatric department loves these stuffed animals because they bring comfort, hugs and smiles to their patients and they cannot be turned into anything dangerous. They come in a variety of different sizes, colors and animal types. 

My goal is to raise $1500 which would bring joy to at least 100 pediatric mental health patients.

I am organizing this fundraiser to raise awareness for pediatric mental health and to provide those struggling in the hospital with a hug that they can always rely on. Please check in on your children and loved ones as they may be fighting battles that you do not even know about. Help them get help! Everyone is loved, especially you, never forget that!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for any donations you are able to make! I am so grateful for your support!