Twelve-year-old Katie Tanous made a special delivery to Bon Secours DePaul Hospital in Norfolk on Friday.
Her donation to the hospital is the reason we surprised her with a People Taking Action award.
We were waiting for her and her helpers inside the lobby at DePaul. When she walked in, New 3's Beverly Kidd told her she won the award. She had a bewildered look on her face.
Katie also received a $300 gift card from our partner Southern Bank.
There was a loud round of applause from the people who were there, including Katie's parents as well as other members of The Daughters of Job.
Katie was truly surprised! “I didn’t expect this,” she said.
Katie and other young girls made 40 care boxes for kids at DePaul, who are stuck in the hospital waiting rooms.
When asked how she got the idea to do this, she said, “In December, my grandmother was in the ICU and I really wish I’d had something to do."
Eventually Katie’s grandmother went home from the hospital, but the experience stayed with Katie and the kids care packages project was born.
Judy Pennington is the sponsor of The Daughters of Job and she's the one who sent us the information nominating Katie.
“I just thought it was the most unique idea that she came up with for helping other kids from her own experience in being bored in the hospital for hours," says Pennington.
While Katie is surprised she’s being recognized for her efforts, her mom Christi is not.
“Both my kids are really giving and think of others first and they’re always conscious about how other people feel, so her doing something like this doesn’t surprise me at all," Christi said.
The bags are thoughtfully crafted for kids by kids.
Katie gave us a look at what's inside the care boxes. “So we have a coloring book, juice boxes, two bags of fruit snacks, crayons and all the girls decorated them individually so none of them are the same.”
It's a thoughtful gesture to cheer up kids during a difficult time.
