Friday, November 21, 2003
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Friday, November 21, 2003 |
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McIntosh junior donates over $3,000 to Hope House as her birthday gift By MICHAEL BOYLAN The old adage states that it is better to give than to receive. Cc Robinson, a 17-year-old Peachtree City resident, agrees. Robinson began volunteering on Sundays this past summer at Hope House, a place that provides respite care for children suffering from progressive life-threatening illnesses and severe disabilities. The program provides temporary relief for families and caregivers and helps people from all over the metro Atlanta area. Robinson plays games with the kids or reads books and watches movies with them. It is a time where the children’s parents can get a few hours rest from the near-24-hour care their children need and it is also a time for the children to be with other children and meet new people, like Robinson, who took to the volunteering immediately. “I love it,” she said. “Most of the time I am there, the weather is beautiful. So we go out to the handicap-accessible playground and enjoy the swings and the good weather.” As Robinson’s 17th birthday approached, her mother planted an idea about donating money to Hope House as her birthday gift. Robinson loved the idea and she and her mother began making fliers and talking with friends, family members and co-workers about making a donation. Robinson’s goal was to raise $1,700 but when the Hope House and Southwest Christian Hospice’s fall festival arrived, Robinson had raised $3,000. Perhaps the most surprising donation was made by Robinson’s great aunt, a woman she had never met, at a family reunion. “She asked me what my future plans were and what I was doing these days,” Robinson said. “When I told her I wanted to go to Emory University and become a pediatrician and that I was raising money for Hope House, she wrote a check for $1,000.” Robinson found that lots of people wanted to contribute to such a worthy cause. In fact, another $350 has poured in since she made her donation. When Robinson is not volunteering at Hope House, she is working hard in her gifted classes in school, working at Outback Steakhouse and taking part in a number of clubs in school, including Beta Club and Spanish Club among others. “Most kids have things they want and I do too,” said Robinson. “I want things like a sound system for my car. But I also wanted to do something for others and I’m very glad I did.” If you are interested in making a donation of time or money to Hope House or would like more information, phone 770-969-8354 or visit www.swchospice.org.
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