Feature Photo By: Hospital Staff Member – The FBLA chapter poses for a picture after their service at the hospital. 

On October 24th, FBLA made its way to the Children’s Hospital. FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) is a business-oriented club focused on furthering the knowledge of students in the business world, merging them into competitions that focus on business topics, and engaging them in community service throughout their community. We were going to the hospital to volunteer and help conduct activities for the kids in the hospital. When approaching the hospital, none of us had any idea what the experience would be like; were there going to be a lot of kids? Who were these kids?

Once we got a sense of the hospital and what activities we were conducting, everything seemed clearer. Slowly but surely, the kids started to walk towards us with their parents, eager to start on what we were doing.

Being behind the lens, the experience I got to see was nothing short of heartwarming. The members offered a short but valuable distraction from the struggles of the kid’s everyday lives; this included making crafts with the kids, talking to them, and playing with them.

These hardworking FBLA members came together to bring smiles to these kids’ faces. “A smile can go a long way and make a difference,” China Noeun said.

Whether it was just small lingering questions or the fun little jokes with the kids, everything the members did seemed to illuminate the eyes of the children. There was relief on the faces of the parents as the children participated in the activities with glee.

The experience was important for FBLA, as well; it was an opportunity to give back to our community and to the children that were going through so much. It gave the FBLA chapter a sense of optimism and bliss as the children sat down and glued their Halloween-themed decorations together.

“It was an amazing experience to see the FBLA chapter come together and [to] see students engage with needy kids and impact their everyday lives,” Advisor Ben Newman commented.

It brought to light the prominent impact that can come from just a little dedication towards our community.

FBLA senior Brayan Melendez expresses, “There are not enough words in the English language to describe the feeling of joy from the kid’s happiness in the 2 hours we spent with them. It was incredible, the power of being able to help the kids and put a smile on their faces.”