BRAINTREE, Mass. — A Massachusetts teenager has turned an idea inspired by her own family’s experience into a nonprofit that is spreading across the country and beyond.
Sixteen-year-old Thayer Academy student Tatiana Calvillo loves working with children and helping others. This past spring, she came up with the idea of creating comfort kits for children in local hospitals.
“We try to keep the kits obviously different for each month, just because we know a lot of the patients are the same,” Calvillo said.
The idea was also inspired by her own sister’s hospital stay.
“I kind of just felt hopeless, so I knew that obviously it was stressful on my sister, it was stressful for my parents, so, I kind just came about the idea of just thinking, like, how can I do something about that,” Calvillo said.
That experience led Calvillo to create the Little Heroes Foundation, a student-led nonprofit dedicated to supporting hospitalized pediatric patients.
“The most important thing for me is that we have the youth leading it, just because I want all of the students to be able to feel a sense of compassion in what we feel when we deliver the kits,” Calvillo said.
Fellow Thayer Academy student Brynn Hso was quick to volunteer after learning about the organization’s mission.
“It’s been very eye-opening to be a part of something that’s greater than just myself,” Hso said.
Hso also understands the challenges pediatric patients and their families face. Her sister was diagnosed with cancer last year.
“There’s a lot of tests and it a whole big production going on But I just hoped that these kits can kind of give small relief in the middle of a really busy day or a busy night and it can just take family’s minds off of everything else that’s Going on and let them have a few enjoyable moments that can make things feel Normal again,” Hso said.
Through donations, Little Heroes volunteers assemble kits filled with items including small toys, coloring books and stickers.
“We have mini squishies and then some Halloween coloring books,” the girls showed.
Even a small gift can provide a distraction for a child going through a difficult day. Hso said her work with the nonprofit has also made her reflect on gratitude and giving back.
“We experience a lot of, you know, stress, anxiety, things like that, and I found that for me, a lot of those feelings have been able to be lifted when I’m focusing on something that’s not just my own personal struggles, and i’m able to give back to something and just take on a posture of gratitude and generosity and compassion towards others who are facing struggles far worse than my own daily struggles,” Hso said.
Calvillo and Hso hope their efforts encourage other young people to find their own ways to help others.
“I hope that other kids my age and all students realize that we can make an impact,” Calvillo said.
Since Little Heroes began in April, it has grown to 19 chapters across the United States, along with chapters in France and Uganda. Volunteers have also started writing cards to patients that are sent out monthly with the comfort kits.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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