By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
Kids helping kids.
That’s the basic concept behind Bulldogs for Bronson, a new after-school club at Otsego’s Washington Street Elementary School.
Members of the club make fleece tie blankets and cards of encouragement to be donated to Bronson Children’s Hospital.
First-grade teacher Dawn Griffith is the club’s creator/director.
“I believe that compassion for others is such a valuable character trait and our culture is becoming more selfish in nature,” Griffith said. “My hope is that building empathy and understand toward others will motivate these students to find ways to jump in and help others in need in the future.”
The club is broken up into three-week sessions, with members meeting once a week for one hour after school.
The first session recently wrapped up, with the students making 15 blankets to be donated during the three-week span.
“I think things have gone smoother than I could have hoped,” Griffith said. “Being a teacher, I’m always looking for ways to make things work more efficiently. I built little cardboard cheaters to guide the kids where they need to cut.
“After our first session, it was clear that the kids were so eager to work hard on these blanket that I was going to need to make more cheaters and grab more yard sticks so we could work on more blankets.”
During the first meeting of the inaugural session, Griffith explained what a community service club entails and the importance of how community service helps others without getting anything but joy in return.
“We talked about the cold, intimidating atmosphere of a hospital,” she said. “The kids began to think of loved ones that they know of that have been in the hospital, which started building their compassion for children that have to go there.
“We talked about the reasons why children may be in the hospital and the ways that a blanket may make their hospital stay feel a little cozier.”
Griffith has first-hand knowledge of just how comforting the blankets can be for children during their hospital stay.
“I shared about how a blanket helped my children through their hospital experience,” she said. “This made the kids excited to know how treasured these blankets become.”
In addition to the experience of her own children at Bronson, Griffith had a student several years ago who had a brain tumor that required surgery and a lengthy stay at Bronson. Griffith was in charge of the student council at the time, and was looking for ways to give back.
It was then that she found the group called Fleece and Thank You that made fleece blankets for children in the hospital.
“Our students donated money to have this group come and facilitate our students in making fleece tie blankets that would be donated back to Bronson,” Griffith said. “It was a great all school service project that helped a cause that was dear to our hearts that year.”
Then, a few years ago, Griffith’s cousin and her cousin’s high-school-age daughters heard that Bronson was running low on blankets and started making some. One of those daughters is now at Western Michigan University and started a group called Broncos for Bronson to continue making blankets.
“Because of Fleece and Thank You and Broncos for Bronson groups, I thought ‘Why not Bulldogs for Bronson,’” Griffith said. “I thought that this would be a great way to teach kids to give back, while also teaching them a skill.”
Each blanket is also a bit of a surprise for the club members.
“The blankets have a plain side and a pretty side to them,” Griffith said. “I always have the pretty side down, so the kids don’t know what the blanket looks like that they are working on. The kids love to talk to each other and guess what is on the pretty side. At the end of blanket club, I flip the blankets for the big reveal.”
Most of the students who participated in the first session of Bulldogs for Bronson enjoyed it so much that they signed up for the second session.
“In the age of iPhones and technology, it’s great to see kids learning a skill or craft that doesn’t require a screen,” Griffith said. “I’ve had a few kids tell me how relaxing it is for them.
“I enjoy listening to their conversations as they work. This club doesn’t just pay it forward to others, the kids in the club are learning how to sit and have conversations for an hour with each other.”
