I’ve been thinking a lot about how to grow the impact of Heart Meter this year, and volunteer events are a major part. Which brings me to my first.

Holy Angels is a place dear to me. It was the 2nd facility I ever supported and outside of Levine Children’s Hospital, the place I’ve made the most deliveries to. Their facility houses over 90 differently able residents, ranging from all ages. It was the perfect place for my first volunteer opportunity.

The event was a game day with a group of volunteers and their residents. I set up two Wiis and a Wii U I surprised them with on three separate stations with games ranging from bowling, skee ball, and of course Mario Kart. This allowed the residents to pick which station to play based on their varying abilities.

Throughout the day myself and 7 volunteers played games with around 30 residents. Out of respect for the residents we didn't take pictures with them but I asked a few of the volunteers to share their favorite moments:

“A couple of the residents, one named Tara in particular, put me in timeout in the corner. Mike and Fluff had an EPIC skee ball battle, and you can't forget the dominant Andrew-Andrew bowling tandem. It really was a blessing to be a part of this.”

“I loved that even when they physically couldn't do something, they appreciated even the opportunity to feel like a team - holding your hand while you held the remote, getting high fives when a match was won, etc.”

“Bowling with Andrew was my favorite. We had a routine where we would flex our biceps after every win.”

It really was a special day. If you missed out on the fun, please reach out. There will be more of these to come.