--- title: "The Crayon Journey, Step #4: Into the Hands of Kids" description: The Crayon Initiative takes unwanted crayons and sorts, melts, and molds them into brand-new crayons designed specifically for ill and injured kids. image: https://blog.thecrayoninitiative.org/hubfs/01StillLives_0019-1.jpg --- [![Image](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/the-crayon-initiative.svg)](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/) - [Our Work](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/our-work/) - [Our Work](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/our-work/) - [Our Story](https://thecrayoninitiative.org//our-work/#story) - [Our Mission](https://thecrayoninitiative.org//our-work/#mission) - [Our Team](https://thecrayoninitiative.org//our-work/#team) - [Our Impact](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/impact-report/) - [Ways to Give](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/give-money/) - [Ways to Give](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/give-money/) - [Give Crayons](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/give-crayons/) - [Give Time](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/give-time/) - 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[Ways to Give](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/give-money/) - [Give Crayons](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/give-crayons/) - [Give Time](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/give-time/) - [Hospital Partners](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/hospital-partners/) - [Share Your Story](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/share-your-story/) - [News](https://blog.thecrayoninitiative.org/) - [Resources](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/type/resources/) - [Store](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/category/store/) - [Contact](https://thecrayoninitiative.org/contact/) ![](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/2432204/hubfs/z-creative%20assets/Customer_Overview_Header_Image.jpg?width=1600&name=Customer_Overview_Header_Image.jpg) # The Crayon Initiative News # [The Crayon Journey, Step #4: Into the Hands of Kids](https://blog.thecrayoninitiative.org/crayon-journey-to-kids) ![close](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2432204/AK-UI%20Builder/close-button.svg) ### Categories - [Collect Crayons (18)](https://blog.thecrayoninitiative.org/tag/collect-crayons) - 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- - - Written by Bryan Ware on November 05, 2022 Once our brand-new crayons arrive at one of our partner hospitals, it's their time to shine. ### Finding Happiness The children receiving crayons from The Crayon Initiative are facing some of the most challenging circumstances a kid can undergo. A box of our crayons brings happiness, light, and reprieve. > Thank you for providing crayons to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. I hosted an event where kids made their own crowns to wear while they received their infusion. I provided choices on supplies that they could have to create, and your crayons were a crowd favorite! My favorite thing about these crayons is the size because our littlest friends cannot easily snap them. Here are some sweet pictures of my sweet friend creating a rainbow crown with your crayons! —Allegra Abbey Berckmoes, Periwinkle Arts in Medicine Program, Cancer and Hematology Centers, Texas Children’s Hospital ![TCI Crayon Journey #2 and #4 (1000 × 350 px)](https://blog.thecrayoninitiative.org/hs-fs/hubfs/TCI%20%20Crayon%20Journey%20%232%20and%20%234%20%20%20(1000%20%C3%97%20350%20px).png?width=1000&height=300&name=TCI%20%20Crayon%20Journey%20%232%20and%20%234%20%20%20(1000%20%C3%97%20350%20px).png) ### Thriving through Therapeutic Art Art-based activities can help children: - Express themselves in overwhelming situations - Reduce stress responses and increase calm - Decrease the feelings of anxiety, depression, and isolation that can come with extended hospital stays What these kids are actually doing when they color is engaging in therapeutic art. The positive impacts of art therapy on pediatric patients are extensive. > “For those coming into my unit, the emergency department, there are so many unknowns; for many children, this is their first real experience with hospitalization. Not only are your crayons easily accessible in this fast-paced environment, but they are a simple way to instill a sense of familiarity in an often-unfamiliar situation. **\[Your crayons\] truly serve as my pathway into building rapport and trust with children and families in times of stress and uncertainty.”** —Mary Dunleavy, CCLS, Pediatric Emergency Department, UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital ### Lifelong Companions When the patients at our partner hospitals finally get to go home, they often take their box of crayons with them. Those crayons represent happy memories during an otherwise uncertain time. **For some, their relationship with that simple white box turns into a lifelong love of art.** **![TCI Crayon Journey #2 and #4 (1000 × 350 px) (1)](https://blog.thecrayoninitiative.org/hs-fs/hubfs/TCI%20%20Crayon%20Journey%20%232%20and%20%234%20%20%20(1000%20%C3%97%20350%20px)%20(1).png?width=1000&height=300&name=TCI%20%20Crayon%20Journey%20%232%20and%20%234%20%20%20(1000%20%C3%97%20350%20px)%20(1).png)** > *When you’re coloring, what kind of things do you think about? > Nothing. That’s exactly why I color.* > > *–NBC Nightly News interview of pediatric patient* We’re proud to do what we can to bring happiness to hospitalized children around the country, all while keeping our planet healthier. **If you’d like to help, please consider making a donation to The Crayon Initiative.**   **[![Give Now](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/7527028/a90146a5-abd6-473d-bdd4-afe33baf32e5.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/7527028/a90146a5-abd6-473d-bdd4-afe33baf32e5)** ![Subscribe](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2432204/99%20Template%20Pack/Background%20Images/message.svg "Subscribe") ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Let Us Know What You Thought about this Post. Put your Comment Below. 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