Josie Grant, right, helped Linda Grogan, Director of Women’s, Children’s, and Nursing Support Services at Carroll Hospital Center, make young patients more comfortable in the hospital.
Written By Anne Blue
When Josie Grant was attending New Windsor Middle School, she dreamed of being more than a “normal teenager.”
“I wanted to do something to help other people, above and beyond what most teenagers do,” she said.
The daughter of Neil and Carol Grant of Taneytown, Josie is a sophomore at Francis Scott Key High.
She started by volunteering in a nursing home and at a local day care center, and for such events as the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the Maryland Brain Injury Association’s Eat-A-Peach Bike-A-Thon in Carroll County. But she was still looking for a more personal cause.
She found herself spending a lot of time in hospitals visiting relatives who were ill. During those visits, she noticed that children who were in the hospital had little to do. Few toys were available. She worried that it was difficult for the young patients to endure the long, quiet hours needed for care or healing.
Josie decided she could help the pediatric patients at Carroll Hospital Center by donating toys, games, books, stuffed animals and other items. She contacted the Hospital Foundation and presented her idea. The hospital staff responded enthusiastically.
In August, 2008, with approval from the Hospital Foundation and a list of needed items in hand, Josie got busy.
She used $75 of her own babysitting money, plus monetary donations from several relatives, to buy toys, candy, games, stuffed animals and books. And she designed business cards, brochures, and thank-you notes so she could ask for additional donations from local businesses.
By the time Josie made her first delivery to Carroll Hospital Center on December 8, 2008, she had collected more than $2,100 worth of items for pediatric patients.
The result of Josie’s efforts is Josie’s Smiles for Pediatrics, the foundation she established to continue her work in conjunction with Carroll Hospital Foundation.
“Josie’s donations make a tremendous impact for our pediatric patients,” said Linda Grogan, Director of Women’s, Children’s, and Nursing Support Services at Carroll Hospital Center.
“We are able to give our young patients an age-appropriate toy, game, stuffed animal, or book. The children use them in the hospital and take them home after their stay. It helps to normalize their time in the hospital and make it less frightening and more comfortable,” said Grogan.
Later, when Josie learned about a need for items for the Family Birth Place at the hospital, she got to work collecting items for newborns, such as receiving blankets, onesies, pacifiers, and bottles.
“Her donation to the Family Birth Place was really significant,” says Grogan. “We sometimes have needy families who have little to nothing for their newborn babies. Josie’s donations allow us to help them get started with some new baby supplies.”
Since her first donation, Josie has continued to gather items for pediatric patients at Carroll Hospital Center. She still asks local businesses for needed items but has expanded her efforts to national companies.
“I am a very shy person, and it has been hard to learn to talk to people and companies and ask for stuff,” said Josie. “But this has helped me overcome some of my shyness. It makes me feel better that I am helping people. I think I am doing something worthwhile.”
To date, Josie has donated more than $16,000 worth of items for newborns and pediatric patients at Carroll Hospital Center. She has earned more than 800 community service hours and received numerous awards for her volunteer efforts, including the President’s Volunteer Service Award (2010), the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards – Bronze Distinguished Finalist, sixth runner-up in Maryland (2010), and the Greer Foundation’s Tarlavsky-Price Youth Leadership Award (2010).
While she continues the work of Josie’s Smiles for Pediatrics, she is planning for a career as a nurse and hopes to specialize by working in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
