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Volunteers Offer Special Form of Therapy
Volunteer Jon Bell provides bubbles as a diversion for Khaniyah Miller, 4. Bell is among 400 volunteers at Children's Hospital in the District.
(By Alice Reid -- The Washington Post)
Children's Hospital Campaign
The Washington Post is raising money for the Children's National Medical Center. You may make a tax-deductible contribution online anytime between Nov. 17 and Jan. 9. TOOLBOX
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First there was conversation -- "You gotta get better cause the food here is pretty boring" -- and then a promise of a portable DVD player and a movie for the evening -- "Have you seen 'Babe,' about the talking pig?" Down the hall, bubbles did the trick for Khaniyah Miller, 4.
It isn't always easy to break the ice, and one of the guidelines is to let patients call the shots, because they have so little control over what else is happening to them.
Bell remembers one child who for three months told him to "go away" as soon as he appeared at her door. Then one evening, he sang "Old McDonald." From then until the child went home, the song was the magic password that got him in the door.
So what's the neatest thing for him as a volunteer?
"To see a child smile," Bell said, "or stop crying."
How to Help
Children's Hospital seems to bring out the best in many of us. Hundreds of people volunteer and hundreds have given to this campaign. Take 10-year-old Ashley from Maryland, who recently sent in $13 with a note saying it was money she had collected.
So far, $262,754.99 has been raised, and our goal is $500,000. Please help us meet it.
You can write a check or money order payable to Children's Hospital and send it to Washington Post Campaign: P.O. Box 17390, Baltimore, Md. 21297-1390.
To donate online, using a credit card, visit http:/
To contribute by phone using Visa or MasterCard, call 202-334-5100 and follow the instructions. Gifts are tax deductible, as allowed by law.
Thank you!
Comments:reida@washpost.com
