LIMA — One teenager’s Christmas wish will soon bring joy to hundreds of children in hospitals and in foster care.
Logan Stratton, 17, has been a frequent visitor to the children’s hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, having been born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, where the left side of the heart is not formed at birth. Having firsthand knowledge of the hardships children experience in the hospital, he wanted to give them something special.
“The kids have nothing to do,” he said. “They just sit there watching TV, and they can’t get up and do anything. I figured I could give them something to do.”
Logan’s parents, Bob and Kristina Stratton, were very supportive of their son’s idea, but the question soon arose as to how to make that wish a reality.
“We were not financially able to buy all of those, because there are 250 beds in that hospital,” Kristina Stratton said. “So I decided to put a small post on my Facebook page to my friends and family, thinking we’d maybe get 20 or 30.”
A teacher at Bath, where Logan attends school, placed the request for coloring books in the school newsletter, and another teacher made a flier, which was reposted on Facebook.
“It just went from there,” Kristina Stratton said.
The Bath school district, along with the Bath Township Fire Department, soon began collecting books, including having a dropoff point at the recent Tip-Off Classic basketball tournament. Through social media, donations began to pour in from other states, as well.
“We’ve received books from California, South Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas, and we’ll soon have some from Florida,” Kristina Stratton said.
The Stratton’s house is now home to 620 coloring books with more on the way. With the goal more than met, the Strattons plan on donating books to both Lima hospitals, SAFY of Lima and Findlay, Safe Harbor, and Toledo Children’s Hospital. The family will deliver books to Ann Arbor, Toledo and Findlay on Friday.
Logan and his family hope to keep this endeavor going beyond this Christmas.
“There’s even been talk about starting a foundation in Logan’s name to keep this going,” Kristina Stratton said.
To donate crayons, colored pencils or coloring books, call Kristina Stratton at 419-204-2420.
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
