Wanted: Crayons for Kids
In a typical day, young patients at Children’s Mercy Hospital will use 100 boxes of crayons per day in the aggregate.
Brittany Duncan started with a mission to bring a day’s worth of crayons to the hospital. “But I got (100 boxes) in like a day,” she said. So, she kept going. Since starting the project in June, she has collected 2,300 boxes of crayons through her own purchases and donations.
“Honestly, (the appeal to starting the project) was the simplicity of it,” she said. “It’s crayons. I mean, if anything, the kids should get access to that.”
Until fall 2015, Duncan worked in the hospital’s primary care clinic in a patient-facing role connecting the healthcare provider with families seeking care. Duncan said she would often see patients with children in tow for whom the antiseptic motif of the hospital might produce either boredom or irritation. While offering patients the hospital’s services, she would also offer children access to a pen and a Post-It Note.
“It got to a point where kids would run up to my desk just to draw,” Duncan said. She ended up with a wall full of art.
Duncan’s goal this year is to collect 2,700 boxes. She said the project may be molded in to a nonprofit to meet the need for crayons through a dedicated organization.
Missy Stover, Manager of Child Life Volunteers & Therapeutic Programs at the hospital, said crayons are offered in a range of spaces throughout Children’s Mercy Hospital.
“We like to offer crayons and paper to encourage the patients to draw, color or write while they are here at the hospital,” she wrote in an email. “We keep crayons in our outpatient waiting areas, our play rooms and other areas throughout the hospital. It’s a great way to provide a little distraction while they wait and also offers patients an outlet for expression.
“Sometimes parents enjoy coloring too!”
The crayon collection project doesn’t reflect a deep artistic affinity that Duncan personally had as a child. She described herself as “the kid that hated art.”
“But I had access to crayons,” she added. While she soured on formal art instruction, the younger Duncan enjoyed having a space of her own where she could make all the decisions about the outcomes on a piece of paper.
The small fulfillment she felt there is part of what drives the crayon collection.
“That’s a simple service that I can provide,” she said. “In my world, a kid should never be without a box of crayons.”
For more info or to find out how to give to the crayon drive, reach Duncan at: 2700crayons@gmail.com.
