For many of us, the holidays will bring smiles and joy to us as we spend time with family and friends. Although, this may not be the case for many. Keeping this in mind, the inspirational Amy Storer curated a beautiful initiative, Holiday Hugs from Buncee, to assist this imbalance. Read how she invented this amazing idea below.
Between the years of 2005 and 2006, I spent many days at MD Anderson with my mother while she was undergoing surgery and receiving treatment for stage 4 Ovarian Cancer. During my time there, I met some wonderful patients, some as young as 4 years old, making the best of a very difficult and scary situation. I didn’t know then that the last Christmas I would spend with my mother would be in 2005. The holidays were my mother’s favorite time of the year, and she truly made it magical. The moment that we lost her, we knew that every day after would be for her and because of her. We also realized the importance of continuing the tradition of making holiday magic with those around us.
I started thinking about how we could extend that magic and that joy to those that need it the most this holiday season. I thought back to my time spent at the very hospital that gave my mother so much hope. I reached out to the wonderful Marie Arturi, creator of Buncee, and this idea started to take shape. It all started with the idea of a Buncee holiday card exchange, which soon evolved into connecting with children’s hospitals from around the world. She was motivated by her experience of being in the hospital during the Holidays with her daughter Daniella and seeing all the families making the best of a very challenging situation. We wanted to create a project that connected classrooms to children who would be spending their holidays within the walls of hospitals. We wanted to bring that magic to them. This was also inspired by projects Buncee had done in the past and still continue today. Projects such as Buncee Buddies and Miles of Smiles. These projects are truly at the heart of Buncee and so many educators that we know. Each day, we work alongside students to encourage them to be their best selves by creating a culture within our classrooms and beyond that fosters empathy, compassion, community, and kindness.
This holiday season we are sharing a new project, Holiday Hugs from Buncee. This project is truly special as we are partnering with children’s hospitals from around the world. Throughout the months of November and December, we will be encouraging others to create Buncees for children who will be spending their holidays in a hospital. It is our hope that this project shines a light on the importance of empathy and compassion, and demonstrates the power of human kindness.
We hope that you will join us this holiday season to share your Holiday Hug, and spread some of the magic that the holidays bring each year!
How to get involved in Holiday Hugs from Buncee:
-
- Create your own Buncee for the Buncee Holiday Hugs Project
- Click here to add to the official Buncee Holiday Hugs Project Board!
- Be sure to submit your Buncee’s before the official cut off date, December 15th
We truly cannot wait to see how classrooms all over the world touch the hearts of patients!
About Amy Storer
Amy is a graduate of Lamar University with a Master’s in Educational Technology Leadership. She truly loves being an instructional coach and the lead technology integration mentor for Montgomery ISD. This year is her 4th year as a campus coach, and she loves calling Keenan Elementary her home. She has taught grades 1-4, thinks of those students often. She holds two Teacher of the Year distinctions and, in 2015, she was a top 4 finalist in HEB’s Excellence in Education in the “Leadership Elementary” category. She is an educator that encourages and motivates others to reach far beyond the classroom walls to make the learning more meaningful and inspiring. She has a true passion for working with other educators and students to encourage them to make and foster global connections.
Her and her husband have been together for over 20 years, and their favorite people call them Mamie and Uncle TT.
Follow her on Twitter @techamys, and her blog: https://
Check out our latest blogs here: https://blog.buncee.com/
