Students in the Medical Assisting program at Carrington College’s Phoenix North campus, located at 8503 N. 27th Ave., in February delivered more than 520 homemade heart-shaped pillows to Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH) through its Heart Pillow Project, which aims to raise awareness of congenital heart defects.
Students at Carrington College’s North Campus in Phoenix prepare to deliver more than 500 handmade pillows to patients at Phoenix Children’s Hospital (photo courtesy of Carrington College).
As part of the program, now in its eighth year, the pillows are cut, sewn, stuffed and stitched by students, staff and faculty to donate to the children at PCH. To bring a smile to each child’s face, they also attach homemade cards of encouragement to each pillow.
“Not only is the message included with the pillow meant to be inspirational, but the pillow will have a practical use,” said Traci Chace, medical assisting instructor at Carrington College’s Phoenix North campus. “For some patients, the pillow might be placed under the back of their necks so their heads can be tilted back to change the breathing apparatus. For others, a pillow can help patients who cough to sit up, giving them something to hold on to.”
More than 100 Carrington College students took part in this year’s Heart Pillow Project, donating their own materials as needed and taking sewing kits home to ensure they would far exceed the original 400-pillow goal.
Although the pillow project is intended to raise awareness of congenital heart defects, young patients with other ailments also received pillows.
This project is one of many the local campus undertakes each year as part of its Carrington Cares community outreach program. For more information, visit www.carrington.edu.
