Students from Mrs. DaSilva’s APEX gifted grades 3, 5, and 6 classes from Rydal Elementary School and Highland Elementary School’s grade 5 gifted students collected over 70 blankets to be donated to Temple University’s Hospital Neonatal Care Unit as part of the Gracie’s Gift Project and the service learning project at the school.
The Gracie’s Gift Project was started by the Sonneborn family, in memory of Grace Sonneborn. Born in March of 2003, Gracie was found to have the rare condition known as OsteoGenesis Imperfecta (Brittle Bone Syndrome) and lived only one day.
According to the Sonneborn family, during the difficult time leading up to Gracie’s birth, tremendous kindness was extended to the family by friends, colleagues, and medical health professionals. This support took many forms, and often came from unexpected places. In a particularly touching gesture, nurses who attended Gracie’s birth gently wrapped her in a beautifully crocheted receiving blanket and bonnet that had been donated to the hospital.
In 2005, the family hoped to return some of the kindness extended to them by sharing a small gift with families in need. They invited a few friends to join them in honoring Gracie’s memory by donating baby blankets to families served by the maternal infant unit of Temple University Hospital. Word about the project spread and on Gracie’s birthday, the family delivered 40 gift-wrapped blankets to Temple University Hospital. They were told by the nursing staff that these blankets would be the only gift that many of these infants would receive.
In that first year, the Gracie’s Gift Project donated 40 blankets. Last year, over 1000 blankets were collected and distributed. The goal for 2016 is to collect and donate 1200 blankets and Mrs. DaSilva’s classes are contributing to meeting that goal.