HARLINGEN — The children at Valley Haven are waking up to a trove of treasures and fun as they celebrate Easter away from home.
Besides the planned Easter egg hunts and other activities to lift their spirits, they are also receiving Easter baskets made by a family that cares.
“I think it will definitely brighten their day because being away from family during the holidays is really hard,” said Kristen Millon, executive director and licensed child-care administrator of Valley Haven Inc., a shelter for at-risk kids who have been removed from their homes by Child Protective Services.
Millon was talking about the 41 Easter baskets that had been donated by Sumer Knight, who spent about three days with her two boys creating the baskets.
That’s impressive in itself, but even more so considering her sons Jaxson Polley and Lincoln Polley are ages 7 and 4, respectively. And they didn’t make just 41 baskets.
More like 96.
Sumer, her two sons, and her husband Eric Polley (cradling their one-year-old daughter Saiya in his arms) were at Valley Baptist Medical Center Friday morning delivering another 35 baskets to the pediatric unit. Tiny colorful rabbits sat with lollipops in their hands and surrounded by small gifts — candy, a drawing pad, and lots of love — beaming their timeless joy through clear plastic wrap to admirers.
The baskets were enchanting enough to look at Friday morning in the South Tower Lobby of Valley Baptist. They’ll have an especially tender meaning to the kids in the hospital during the Easter weekend.
“I hope it will give them little moments of peace and joy,” Knight said. “I know that they’re not at home on Easter and they’re probably not as likely to get the little treats that they normally would have gotten.”
Knight is in the habit of doing “random” acts of kindness when she sees an opportunity.
“For random holidays I like to just do things,” she said. “Like Mother’s Day I made blessing bags.”
She’s done things for Sunny Glen Children’s Home and the Family Crisis Center. She and her oldest son made paper flowers awhile back and distributed them to elderly residents at Angelcare Haven.
She was prompted to make Easter baskets for kids after taking her grandmother to the Emergency Room.
“I could hear the kids crying around me,” she remembered. “It started getting me to thinking, ‘What can I do to comfort the kids in the hospital?’ I knew Easter was coming so it was kind of natural for me to do Easter baskets.”
And so she set about the task financing an Easter basket projects through friends, anonymous donors and a GoFundMe page. The project cost about $700 for supplies, which included the premade plastic rabbits and the candy. She made it a group project with her two sons, organizing everything carefully to make it a fun and effective project which they will always remember.
She looked down now at Jaxson and said, “Did you enjoy it?”
His smile was evident even behind the mask, so radiant were his cheeks with joy and optimism as he gave a quick and energetic nod.
His father Eric Polley expressed admiration and gratitude toward Knight for taking another charitable idea and making it happen — and for the boys sharing the experience with her.
“They benefited from just having the experience of seeing us give back to the community,” he said. “That’s going to stick in their minds. And it’s a good feeling to give to others. It’s something that we’ve learned from our families growing up, and we’re just trying to keep that going down the line.”
The hospital also appreciated the gesture. Manny Vela, CEO of Valley Baptist, spoke of the positive impact the baskets would have on the kids in the pediatric ward.
“The kids I am sure would rather be anywhere else in the world, playing in a playground, being in their houses, just being somewhere they are comfortable,” Vela said. “Unfortunately, because of their illness they are here with us. So, I think this is something that is absolutely going to warm their hearts and make their days.”
His was a sentiment fully shared by Millon at Valley Haven.
“It’s great, it’s wonderful, the kids will love them,” she said.
And if you do the math, these two donations don’t add up to 96. So what happened to the other 20?
Those went to the Family Crisis Center.
