Christmas at the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain

Hello Wellspring,

I’m asking for your prayers and help with a delivery we have started doing as a family on Christmas Day. This will be the 6th year now that we have been delivering care packages to the pediatric floor of Hospital for Special Care in New Britain. The care packages include items for the children such as toys, books and everyday items like socks, eating utensils and fleece blankets. We are also trying to include items for parents and siblings, like gift cards or playing cards to pass the time. We deliver all the gifts on Christmas Day to the kids and their families, as well as spend a little time with them playing or singing and stuff....it’s loads of fun!

The reason for us going to the hospital and delivering these care packages is because we want to help the children and let them feel the love Jesus has for them, even if it is for just one day. We also have quite a bit of experience with hospital stays, so we understand what it’s like. For people who do not know us, our youngest child, Dylan, has multiple special needs and we know what it’s like to be stuck in a hospital. We decided that this could be one way we could help other children like Dylan. The reason we choose to help the children in the Hospital for Special Care is because they can’t go home for Christmas. I can tell you that God has blessed our family that we have been able to enjoy and learn from Dylan being at home, but not every family has had that opportunity with their own child.

Now I would love to take credit for this great and noble thing that we are doing but I can’t. The idea came from my youngest daughter, Rebekah. She was 6 at the time when she asked  my wife and I, “Christmas is about Jesus’s birthday right?”  We said yes; then she said, ”So why do we get gifts?  That doesn’t make any sense, we should give to Jesus."  My wife and I looked at each other in wonder and said, "You're right!"  Now picture our other 4 kids, who were present at the time, telling her to be quiet because she didn’t know what she had just done. I think they were a little worried that they would not be getting any more presents for Christmas. So that’s how it started. It’s amazing how a little child can open your eyes to what is really important and where God's heart is.

Below is a list of items that we are looking to give to the children and their parents. We have listed their first names, so as you feel led, you can pray for these children as well. There is a large wrapped container in the loft where the new and unwrapped gifts can be left. We cannot accept any used items or stuffed animals for health and sanitation reasons. If you would like to make a cash/check donation instead, you can give it to the Wellspring office or hand it to any Knapp family member. Please make checks out to Chris Knapp with “Christmas Day” in the memo line. If you and your family are interested in helping us deliver them on Christmas Day, please let me know so I can get you the specifics. We will be accepting items up to Friday, December 23rd. 

God Bless you all and thank you,

In the Spirit,

Chris, Laura, Valerie, CJ, Kyle, Rebekah & Dylan Knapp 

knappseven@sbcglobal.net

Here is what has been requested by the hospital: 

The following are for kids of any age

• Wal-mart, Target, Toys R Us, Barnes and Noble, and i-tunes gift cards  
• Disney DVD’s (Anyone 13 years old or more can get PG or PG-13 DVD’s)
• Fleece Blankets 
• Age-appropriate Hair Bands and Barrettes for any of the girls
• Disney CD’s or kid friendly CD’s 
• Vaseline Lip Therapy (in squeeze tube)

The following are for any kids 1-2 yrs old

• Sippy Cups with 2 handles 
• Bibs (plastic lined with Velcro fasteners)
• Board Books
• Links
• Infant spoons: found at Babies R Us 
• Teethers (variety: water filled, vibrating, etc.)
• Gerber Graduates Puffs
• Gerber Graduates Yogurt Melts

The following are for any kids 4 yrs old and older

• Wide Tooth Combs
• Bristle Brushes
• Moon Sand or Moon Dough 
• Picture Books
• Sedaya also need socks: Sock size 2T-3T (4-8 ½ )
• Amani and Swarit also need socks: Sock size Medium (7-8 ½ )

All gifts will be packaged into some sort of reusable bag, so we will need 30 of those as well. 

1. Lyric 1 year old girl
2. Jacqueline 1 year old girl
3. Skylarr 1 year old girl
4. Andrika 1 year old girl
5. Miracle  1 year old boy
6. Leah 1 ½  year old girl
7. Victor 2 year old boy
8. Sheldon  2 year old boy
9. Elizabeth 1 year old girl
10. Annabelle 1 year old girl
11. Karter 2 year old boy
12. Amani 4 year old girl
13. Swarit 4 ½  year old boy
14. Sedaya 4 ½  year old girl
15. Aaron 7 year old boy
16. Kyara 10 year old girl
17. Mark 10 year old boy
18. Jonnathan 13 year old boy
19. Zech 4 year old boy
20. Doris 7 year old girl  
21. Brandon 10 year old boy
22. Charlene 11 year old girl
23. Dalia 14 year old girl
24. Shaniqua 14 year old girl
25. Natasha 15 year old girl
26. Cindy 16 year old girl
27. James 16 year old boy
28. Teanna 17 year old girl
29. Markus 17 year old boy
30. Elgar Adult Male

*** Due to infection control issues we can no longer accept stuffed animals***