I had always dreamed of holding my writing, printed neatly and bound in a hardcover sleeve, adorned with colorful pictures of what someone imagined my words meant. The foreword dedicated to those whom I love, and each flip of a page exuding feelings of compassion and empathy. It is because of this wish, as well as my desire to pursue a service project, that I chose to write my own children’s book over the summer.
When I first decided that I would be writing a book as my Girl Scout Gold Award service project, I was daunted by the task. I knew little about the printing process, nor how much it would cost; however, I did know that I wanted to give back to a community that had impacted my life in a positive way. I thus decided to write my book with the purpose of aiding children at a local hospital, Holtz Children’s Hospital. While I was in middle school, I was hospitalized there twice and got to experience firsthand the work that the child-life specialists did. When they did their rounds, they worked with the children in making their hospital stay more comfortable and aided them in understanding what they were going through. The child-life specialists had methods they employed to ensure that no child was frightened during their hospital stay; for example, they had safe-rooms full of toys, where no medical procedures could be carried out. I decided to write a children’s book that would normalize routine medical procedures and could be placed in these safe playrooms. With my plan in mind, and with the approval of the head child-life specialist at Holtz, Beth, I set to work drafting.
Drafting my book was the relatively easy part. I knew the common medical procedures I wanted to discuss would be along the lines of IVs, blood drawings, and MRIs. After talking with my illustrator, Shawn, a family friend who agreed to donate his time to my service project, we decided that each character would be a different animal, and each would undergo a different procedure. As I wrote my first draft, I added lots of interactive dialogue to keep children engaged with the story. I also incorporated coping techniques and comfort methods that child-life specialists recommended for children who may be frightened of certain medical procedures. I had my draft proofread by family and close friends, and then finalized my second draft. Shawn’s visions of my words were beautiful, and the illustrations fit into my book perfectly. Animated and lively characters brought my words to life, and I ensured that each page at least had one picture on it (to keep young readers engaged).
After I had finished drafting, I began looking into printing options. I knew I wanted my book to be a large print (6×9), and have a hard cover with vivid color. I had been editing my book and adding images to it through Word, and it was easy to export it as a PDF and upload it to the printing website. I utilized the Barnes and Noble printing service to print my books, and I ordered over two dozen copies to distribute to multiple local hospitals in my area. Additionally, I translated my book to Spanish, since it is the second most spoken language in South Florida, and I wanted to be inclusive of all children who may need the reassurance my book provided. In doing so, I knew that my book was making the largest possible impact on my local South Florida community, a reward far greater than the service hours I received for my work.
Although my service project earned me my Girl Scout Gold Award, it meant so much more to me knowing that my writing was being used for the greater good. Not only had I accomplished my dream of being able to physically hold a finalized, printed copy of my own writing, but I had also accomplished a second dream that I did not know I had: seeing my writing in others’ hands, spreading happiness and comfort to those whose shoes I had once filled.
