Volunteers from the local Ryan’s Case for Smiles chapter recently celebrated reaching an important goal. The Palm Coast-based group has now delivered 50,000 colorful pillowcases to children in area hospitals. At the same time, the national organization marked delivering its 3 millionth pillowcase.
Ryan’s Case for Smiles began in 2002 when Cindy Kerr started making colorful pillowcases for her son Ryan, who spent long periods in the hospital fighting bone cancer called Osteosarcoma. The bright pillowcases made his hospital room more cheerful and brought smiles to his face. When other families noticed how much the pillowcases helped Ryan, Cindy and her friends began making them for other sick children too.
The organization grew over the years, and by 2007, Cindy started creating chapters across the country. Today, more than 120 chapters operate in the United States, Canada, England, and South Africa. The local chapter serving the Jacksonville to Daytona area started in 2011.
Every two months, volunteers deliver more than 400 individually wrapped pillowcases to children’s hospitals and support organizations. These include Nemours and Wolfson Children’s Hospitals in Jacksonville, Halifax Health and AdventHealth in Daytona, and Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville. The pillowcases also go to Pedscare Hospice, Ronald McDonald House, and Begin Again Children’s Grief Counseling.
The organization’s motto is helping children “feel better to heal better” through what they call “pillowcase smiles.” Volunteers from various quilt groups and shops throughout the region contribute to this effort, creating thousands of pillowcases each year to bring comfort and joy to children facing serious illnesses.
Donate funds through the website, caseforsmiles.org, and designate the Jacksonville/Daytona chapter. All donations are tax-deductible, and you will receive a tax receipt as confirmation. For more Information, contact the Jacksonville/Daytona Coordinator, Sheri Muth, via email at case4smilesjaxdaytona@gmail.com
