Students Send Hand-Made Cards To Local Hospital Patients
Shots for a Cure is a Del Norte club that creates hand-crafted photo cards with notes of encouragement to uplift patients in San Diego hospitals who are undergoing extensive treatment. Due to the pandemic, patients are now, more than ever, in deeper isolation from family and friends.
Prompted by the pandemic and his passion for photography, junior Harry Kim started Shots for a Cure after realizing that the pandemic is causing hospital patients to feel extremely isolated. Patients currently cannot see their family and friends nor experience the outside world.
“I realized that a lot of patients were missing the visual and tangible experience of the nature or environment around them,” Kim said. He claims that this is causing a decrease in morale, making it difficult for patients to recover while disconnecting them from their community.
In an attempt to alleviate some of this emotional strain, Kim wanted to create cards for patients to provide encouragement, joy, and a connection to the community. Card designs include beautiful pictures and notes to provide a light of hope to these patients.
“Hopefully, by reading and seeing those pictures and words, the patients feel comforted, less isolated, and most importantly [are] given strength to persevere to their full recovery,” Kim said. Shots for a Cure aims to remind patients that they are not alone and wishes them strength in their recovery process.
Each month, club members take and edit photographs, which usually fit into a monthly theme, to create a unique note. Finally, they send the cards to San Diego hospitals to distribute the cards to patients.
Shots for a Cure can also benefit the students at Del Norte. The club provides a way for students not only to express their passion for the arts but also to contribute to the community during a challenging time. At monthly meetings, students can gather with like-minded peers and be a part of this creative community.