A pillowcase is the last thing you feel when you fall asleep.  For children with cancer, alone in a hospital room, the bed and pillows can be the stuff of nightmares.   

On March 10, Lancer Media decided to sew 100% cotton pillowcases to be donated to children who need a comfortable place to lay their heads.

The class made nine pillowcases for donation with the help of Mrs. Susan Rossman and three borrowed sewing machines.

Mallory Maher, a reporter said, “This was a very fun and special workshop that was enjoyable. It felt really good that I was able to do something small that will make a big difference. I want to get my own sewing machine to continue to help others.”

Ryan’s Case for Smiles, formally known as Conkerr Cancer, provides homemade pillowcases for children who are hospitalized for an illness.

The charity was founded in 2007 in memory of Ryan Kerr. Ryan’s mother, Cindy Kerr, the CEO and Founder, began making pillowcases for her son more than a decade ago. Although Ryan lost his battle with bone cancer, his legacy lives through Ryan’s Case for Smiles.

With the help of thousand volunteers, the organization has been able to help over 50,000 patients in over 362 hospitals who participate.

The hospital stay is often terrifying.  As much as  20% of children who survive cancer develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Trauma can be reduced by improving the experience.

The charity’s goal is to create and distribute fun pillowcases to give children an emotional boost while going through chemo. The patterns of the fabric are the fun part.  Lancer Media students donated $5 each, and the money went toward fabrics that Mrs. Natalie Rebetsky, advisor, selected and purchased.  In this case, it was dinosaur robots and ladybugs.  A pillowcase can be made with ¾ yard of the main fabric and ⅓ yard of the contrasting fabric.

“With every stitch, every yard of fabric and every pillowcase, we get one step closer to our goal of helping kids with life-changing illnesses or injuries, feel better to heal better.  This is the mission statement for the organization.

When the Rossman family proposed this charity to the local Howard County 4-H Program Coordinator, Chris Rein thought it was an amazing idea.

Over the course of three years, the Rossman family, with the help of Rein, has lead five pillowcase workshops. They have been coordinating with Marcy Kelly, who is the Baltimore Chapter coordinator.

Kelly said, “Being the Chapter Coordinator for Case for Smiles is rewarding. I have met amazing children and their families, worked with fabulous volunteers, child life specialist and other coordinators across the country. I am grateful for these interactions and relationships.”

In three years, other 4-H counties, Frederick and Montgomery County joined the pillowcase workshops.

The local groups have made 100 or more pillowcases that will help a child feel better in the hospital.

Kelly said that the Baltimore chapter has approximately 500 to 700 pillowcases distributed every five to six weeks year round. The pillowcases are given to children ages 0 to 21 years old.

In the ten years that the organization has been active, they have been able to distribute 1.5 million pillowcases.

Some children who have suffered from illness in the hospital continue to cherish their

Ryan’s Case for Smiles was named the charity partner for The Great Inflatable Race Philadelphia. The race will be held on June 24th at Warminster Community Parking starting at 9 am. Use CASEFORSMILES to get 5% off of the race ticket.

Anyone who wants to sew can help a child who is battling cancer. This project is easy enough for children as young as 7, with supervision.  There is a video on the website that guides volunteers through the sewing process. The organization has a very easy pillowcase instructions that includes pictures to go along with the steps.

The Rossman family will pick up donated pillowcases from Linganore High School.  Contact Lancer Media if you would like to donate a pillowcase, [email protected].

When picking out the fabric make sure is follows the following guidelines:

• Must be 100% cotton
• Doesn’t have glitter
• Pick out fabric that is fun, colorful novelty prints
• Not flannel
• No religious symbols