St. Jude’s world-renowned pediatric care is enhanced by first-rate volunteer services that address every aspect of a young patient’s journey to healing.

The Happy Cart Program is one such volunteer initiative at the hospital. Happy Cart goes around to inpatient rooms several nights a week to provide the children and their parents essential playtime in arts and craft-making that speeds the grueling passage of hours, and soothes the soul while it offers enjoyable, creative distraction.

Recently, Plibrico Company and two PliPartners, F.S. Sperry, headquartered in Memphis, TN, and Empire Refractory Services, headquartered in Fort Wayne, IN, collaborated in assembling over 2,200 craft kits to stock the Happy Carts at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Ninety-five Plibrico and PliPartner associates came together in 11 different offices from Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio to prepare the kits. Each craft kit consisted of carefully selected hobby components with assembly pictures and instructions. The resulting projects included colorful and comical beaded animals, fire breathing dragons, dream catchers, spinners, pipe cleaner snakes, bug clothespins and race cars.

“The St Jude organization and their mission resonated with our employees and PliPartners which made the decision easy when we were looking for opportunity to give back” commented Brad Taylor President and CEO of the Plibrico Company in Northbrook, IL. “Not only was it an opportunity to provide some happiness for a child and their family in a time of need, but it was a great way to engage our business partners to make a difference and have some fun.”

Taylor continued, “Taking the time to give back is important for any business and something we look to do every year. While we say that thru our Happy Cart Project effort we created 2,200 kits, what we actually accomplished is so much more… we touch the lives of 2,200 families in a time of need with a simple act of kindness. I’m incredibly proud of our company, employees and partners.”

The Happy Cart Program has been operating at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since about 2015 and has brought peace of mind to thousands of patients and their families. Numerous hospitals like St. Jude have adopted arts and crafts projects as an established inpatient therapy for learning, coping and self-expression, especially valuable for the young.

“We really wanted to engage the kids and help make life a little easier for them,” Pamela Gaul, Plibrico’s Director of Marketing who helped coordinate the whole project explained, “when a little boy or girl opens up their craft kit with her mom, dad or a volunteer helper, it’s like the world just got brighter and friendlier. They have a stimulating, creative project to work on together, and it takes their thoughts away from some of the larger challenges that they face.”

“For the Happy Cart Project, Plibrico, F.S. Sperry and Empire provided – Labor, Love and Lunch! But, I think the team may have found an extra dividend in the project,” Gaul added. “There were stacks of clothespins, paper rolls, pipe cleaners and bags of beads spread across lunch room tables in 11 offices. This wasn’t about business and work, but about doing something together as a team for a great purpose. The staff was really into assembling the kits, not so much for the break, but for the comfort and love they were sending along. I know the kits will help the kids at St. Jude, but this project has really helped the team too.”

Together, the Plibrico network will touch over 2,000 children and families at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.