ometimes, the best gifts come
in small packages. Area youth
in Temple and in Belton,
Texas, are actively involved in the
health of patients not just at Scott &
White Healthcare but also in their own
communities. They show us that there’s
no minimum age for a giving heart as
they work to make the world a better
place by reaching out to many in need.
S
Christmas joy at
McLane Children’s
Josiah, age 11, Cariel, age 10, and
Xavier Rentas, age 8, were born with a
rare disorder called Hermansky Pudlak
Syndrome. (See the Fall 2011 issue
of The Catalyst to read their story.)
Their trips to the McLane Children’s
Hospital emergency room are frequent
and often result in long stays, so they
know firsthand what children need
during a hospital visit. Lyzzette Rentas
says that while she was quick to support
her children’s efforts to help, the idea
came from them. Josiah told her he
wanted to show the kids who are in the
hospital on Christmas that they are not
alone. “The doctors and nurses try to
cheer them up as much as they can,”
says Josiah. “But we know how good
it would be for a kid to have their own
coloring book and crayons, especially if
they can’t go to the playroom—and to
know that somebody else cares.”
" eople always try
P
to help us, but we
don’t always notice
that they could be
hurting, too. There
has to be a time
when you give back
to them.”
—Josiah Rentas, age 11
The Rentas family established a goal
of collecting 150 sets of coloring books
and crayons to be given to the children
at McLane’s Children’s Hospital on
Christmas morning. They set out
donation boxes at local businesses and
scheduled a drop-off event that included
“thank you” cupcakes. “Since they were
little, I’ve always told my children that
their disability should not stop them
from doing anything, including helping
others,” says Mrs. Rentas. “You don’t let
it stop you from being who you can be.”
“It’s fun giving back to the hospital
because it can be boring when you’re
there,” says Cariel. “It feels very good
to see people who are willing to give to
help our community.”
Lyzzette Rentas says it has been a
heartwarming experience to see how
many people are helping. She says,
“I was scared at first, worrying that
we might not get donations and my
children would be hurt. But people gave,
and you should have seen my kids’ faces
light up with every donation.” Josiah
says, “I know I have a disorder and can’t
do a lot of things, but there are kids
in worse situations. People
always try to help us, but
we don’t always notice that
they could be hurting, too.
There has to be a time when
you give back to them.”
Even more good cheer was being
spread at McLane Children’s Hospital.
Sporting a camouflage Santa hat and
a shy smile, Brooklyn Hamer, age 9,
arrived at McLane Children’s Hospital
the Monday before Christmas with her
mom and sister, along with nearly 100
wrapped Scentsy Buddies to deliver to the
hospital’s young patients. Last Christmas,
Brooklyn had decided to raise money
to purchase as many of the pleasantsmelling stuffed animals as she could.
“I felt bad for all the kids who were in the
hospital on Christmas,” she says. This
compassion turned into an extensive
project. Brooklyn
saved money
throughout the
year for the
Buddies setting
aside a large
portion of her
allowance, and
going the extra
mile around
the house to
earn a little
extra cash.
“She would
offer to give us a shoulder
massage for two dollars,” laughs her
proud mom Carolyn Hamer.
“She thought about it all year,”
says Mrs. Hamer. “It wasn’t just at
Christmas last year, it was constantly
‘I need to raise more for my charity
money.’ All year she thought about it
and she worked really hard to do it. It
makes me very proud.” It brought a
smile to Brooklyn’s face knowing that
her gifts would help make someone
else’s Christmas a little happier, and
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