By Marian Pontz
Volunteer Noelle Schneider has been working with Caitlin’s Smiles for eight years. At the age of 15 and Miss Lancaster County’s Teen, she first heard Caitlin’s Smiles Founder Cheryl Hornung speak about her personal tragedy of losing her 7-year-old daughter to cancer. She learned about Hornung’s mission to bring creative joy to kids who are being treated in hospitals and the parents who care for them. Schneider knew this was a mission she had to be a part of.
For eight years, Schneider has raised awareness and funds, run supply drives, stuffed Bags of Smiles kits, and—most recently—helped to expand the program by creating a YouTube channel, MAOSmiles, where she and her friends (fellow pageant contestants and winners) read their favorite children's books for storytime. Schneider excitedly shared that she just finished reading and filming her favorite, Rainbow Fish.
Schneider is but one member of a team of dedicated folks who have made it their mission to help children and their families through the healing process. Long hours spent in emergency rooms and too many days in hospital rooms can make every member of a family tired, bored, scared, and frustrated. Caitlin’s Smiles gives bags of fun to children, including craft materials, books to entertain and distract, journals that encourage the expression of feelings, and greeting cards, written by volunteers to let both the child and their family members know that they are being thought about and that people are rooting for them. Last year alone, 126,987 hospitalized children were served by Caitlin’s Smiles.
During the upcoming Gifts That Give Hope Alternative Gift Fair on Sunday, December 10 in Lancaster, you will have the opportunity to check out some sample Bags of Smiles (for long-term hospital stays) and Coping Kits (designed for shorter stays). You can speak with Schneider about her drive to expand the organization and serve all children who need their services. After speaking with Schneider for even a few moments, no doubt donating to or volunteering with Caitlin’s Smiles will make an impact on the lives of so many children and their parents.
Schneider’s passion does not end with her work for Caitlin’s Smiles. She currently works as a scientist at a local lab and is taking the necessary steps to enter medical school to become a surgeon. In her free time, she serves as Miss Berks County—with her sights on winning Miss Lancaster County, Miss Pennsylvania, and Miss America. Schneider reminds me of a fact that many older Lancastrians may already know: The last—and only—Miss Pennsylvania to win Miss America, Evelyn Sempier was from Ephrata and won in 1954. Schneider would like to break that dry streak for PA.
Schneider is excited to share the mission and work of Caitlin’s Smiles at the upcoming GTGH Fair. She sees it as an opportunity for the community to see how they could be a part of the volunteer crew—from making homemade greeting cards, to decorating and assembling the bags. These volunteers serve the community by delivering hope in the form of crafts to children in hospitals.
If you would like to volunteer, contact Caitlin’s Smiles at (717) 412-4759 or via email at caitlinsmiles@comcast.net. And be sure to chat with Noelle Schneider at the upcoming Gifts That Give Hope Alternative Gift Fair on Sunday, December 10 from 10am-3pm at the Farm & Home Center (1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster).
