Feature Story 1: Pillowcase Project Name:

There are many ways people are helping people in today's world, such as firefighters saving
people from fires. These juniors are deciding that they are gonna help improve their community
by making pillowcases for sick children in the hospital.
Junior Tameka Judson and seven other girls are making pillowcases to deliver to the
children’s hospital on Friday. Tameka came up with Project Pillowcase after watching a special
newscast about the children’s hospitals and wanted to put a smile on the kids’ faces.
The girls delivered their first 30 pillowcases to the hospital on February 15. They are trying to
get a business to donate more sewing machines. Once that happens they can expand Project
Pillowcase to more than just Leaguetown Children’s Hospital.
“I thought if I could bring a little color into those rooms, I might be able to bring a little
happiness, too,” Judson said.
Each time the girls deliver pillowcases to the hospital, they spend time with the
hospitalized children getting to know their stories as well as their dreams and fears. The next
delivery of pillowcases will be to the children in the cancer ward of the hospital. Some of the
children there have been at the hospital for almost half of their life.
“When they delivered their first batch of what I call ‘colorful love,’ the girls went to each child and
helped the child select the perfect pillowcase,” hospital administrator Doug Lent said. ”This has
been an absolutely wonderful project at the hospital.”
The group meets every Tuesday and Thursday at Judson’s house where the dining room
was converted into a sewing room.
“Before joining the group, I spent a lot of my free time watching television. Now, I spend
that time making a difference in a child’s life,” junior Sonia Bustamante said.
One four year old old girl named “Sara” picked out a pillowcase with bunnies and carrots.
Sara immediately named it “Whiskers.” The pillowcase comforted her in some pretty tough times
when she had to get a needle put in her body.
“That pillowcase made a huge difference for our Sara. When she was scared, she would
hug it tight and tell us ‘Whiskers’ would protect her,” parent of Sara, Valeria Gallegos said.
The group plans to make more than 1,000 pillowcases for hospitalized children before
Tameka leaves for college.
“When we delivered our first set of pillowcases, I can't describe the joy we saw in those
children’s faces,” Judson said.