{"id":2217,"date":"2012-02-05T16:55:16","date_gmt":"2012-02-05T21:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catchingfireflies.com\/blog\/?p=2217"},"modified":"2012-02-05T16:58:17","modified_gmt":"2012-02-05T21:58:17","slug":"rochester-post-feature-2-1-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/rochester-post-feature-2-1-12\/","title":{"rendered":"Rochester Post Feature 2.1.12"},"content":{"rendered":"

Handmade valentines spread joy to sick kids<\/a><\/h1>\n
Catching Fireflies collects cards from the public through Feb. 12<\/div>\n

By Mary Beth Almond
\nC & G Staff Writer<\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

ROCHESTER \u2014 As a child, April McCrumb loved getting out her construction paper, scissors, doilies, glue and crayons to make homemade valentines for family and friends.<\/p>\n

Now the owner of Catching Fireflies gift shop in Rochester and Berkley, McCrumb still loves to use her creativity to craft valentines for those in need of a smile.<\/p>\n

For the second year in a row, Catching Fireflies \u2014 at 203 E. University Drive in Rochester and 3117 W. 12 Mile Road in Berkley \u2014 is collecting blank handmade Valentine\u2019s Day cards, which will be delivered to sick children at DMC Children\u2019s Hospital of Michigan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up loving to make valentines. \u2026 They are a fun way to spread love, so I thought it would be fun to encourage our customers \u2014 adults and kids alike \u2014 to get out their scissors, construction paper, and make some old-school valentines to help bring a smile to kids who really could use it, because who wants to be at a hospital on Valentine\u2019s Day?\u201d McCrumb said.<\/p>\n

Last year, approximately 1,500 valentines were collected and donated<\/a>, and McCrumb hopes to collect even more this year.<\/p>\n

Catching Fireflies is asking the public to get involved by donating a blank handmade card or two through Feb. 12.<\/p>\n

Deanna Scanlon, child life projects specialist at DMC Children\u2019s Hospital, said the blank cards are made available to all staff and the children at the hospital Feb. 14.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe staff sign the cards, and if they have any interaction with the children on Valentine\u2019s Day, then they can give them a card. It\u2019s really kind of neat because it gets the staff involved, and the kids are getting personalized cards from the staff members and people that they know and are involved in their care,\u201d she said. \u201cWe also give the children these blank cards so they can sign them and give them to the staff.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project really has a big impact on the staff and the kids, Scanlon said, especially those in the cardiology unit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does really make a big difference to the kids that are in the hospital because it normalizes hospitalization and brings something familiar to them that they can do on Valentine\u2019s Day that they would be doing at school,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

As a thank you to those who bring in three or more handcrafted cards and make a purchase, Catching Fireflies will offer a \u201cjoyful heart\u201d necklace<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo sweeten the deal and make it a little more fun, we have these lovely little necklaces that are handmade by an artist out in California. They are really simple. They have the shape of a heart and they have a little word, \u2018joy.\u2019 Joy comes from giving to people, so it\u2019s just a nice little token to remember that they are spreading joy by taking time out and making a lovely valentine,\u201d McCrumb said.<\/p>\n

Scanlon said the Valentine\u2019s Day project, which is one of her favorites, wouldn\u2019t be possible without support from the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be able to do something like this without Catching Fireflies and support from the community because we\u2019re a 228 bed hospital \u2014 that\u2019s a lot of kids that could potentially be here on Valentine\u2019s Day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n