A project founded on two principles and depending on volunteers drew around 60 local volunteers to a workshop at South Lakes High School on Saturday, Feb. 26.
The principles of Happy Hats are, one, hospitalized children supported by their peers have more positive outlooks, and two, civically-engaged youth with a sense of purpose have a greater sense of social connectedness.
"Getting people [to volunteer] has never been a problem," said Susan Khorsand, co-founder of the Glories HATS (Helping Adolescents Through Service) project with her husband Dr. Ali Khorsand. The problem, she said, is getting sponsors. The project focuses on youth leadership and civic engagement, said Khorsand, while supporting hospitalized children.
It took the Khorsands, an artist-doctor team, eight years to get the project started, because they wanted to figure out how the community works. "It's all connected, it's strategic philanthropy," said Susan Khorsand. Ali Khorsand earned his doctorate in social economic development, and combined his knowledge with Susan's creativity and passion for arts.
Glories/Happy Hats, a not-for-profit organization, partnered up with the Giving Circle of HOPE (Helping Other People Everyday) for the Saturday workshop.
Joan Kasparowicz, one of the Circle's six directors, said this is the first time the organization worked with Happy Hats. The mission of the event was to provide hats for all hospitalized children in Fairfax Hospital, she said. The Khorsands gave a short presentation on the needs of sick children, and then helped the volunteers through the workshop. They also provided the sewing machines and the materials for the hats.
THE HAPPY HATS PROJECT'S mission is to provide a hat to every child hospitalized, and the current plan is to create a network to support every hospital in the mid-Atlantic region. The networks are made of 20 sites, each of which will produce 500 hats. Each hospital with a network will then receive 10,000 hats, but will also support around 3,000 youth to earn the President's Volunteer Service Award. So far, the Happy Hats Project accounted for over 300,000 hours of youth community service, and was recognized by Governor Warner's Commission on National and Community Service.
The goal of the workshop is four-fold, Susan Khorsand said. The first part of the goal is to fill the hat with happy thoughts, so the recipient who wears the hat thinks happy thoughts. The second aspect is to challenge the youth to understand scale and to meet the number of children hospitalized locally, regionally, and nationally. The third aspect is to present public health information in order to build health literacy and awareness. The final part of the goal is to present an opportunity to youth interested in community service to earn their hours, and earn the President's Volunteer Service and Congressional Awards.
"This is a very worthwhile project," said Fredda Regen, a volunteer and Reston resident. She said it was a feel-good project, but also a needy project, and a good way to make a difference in the community, something she hoped to accomplish through her work.
One part of the Happy Hats Project, teaching the youth who volunteer to work on a 12-step modular manufacturing production line, was appreciated by the leader of a Girl Scouts troop on hand to help make the hats. Caroline Boone, the troop's leader, said the troop did a similar project last year, but this project was different as it also taught teamwork through a production line. The line encourages the youth to manage a system in order to increase productivity.
Boone said she saw a lot of people at the Happy Hats event that she sees at other volunteer events. Her troop consists of sophomores and juniors from South Lakes High School. A number of other South Lakes students volunteered their time, including a team effort by the South Lakes Cheerleading Squad.
Susan Khorsand said the project was a win-win situation as it serves a needy population, while it provides an opportunity for volunteers to learn important life skills. "Service is a great way to learn the skills," she said, "because you feel needed."