This experience took place in the spring of 2025 officially. However, planning for this event started in Spetember of 2024. As a fourth year in the Bonner Scholar Program, we were tasked with organizing an event of our choosing. We had full creative control and we responsible for creating a budget, finding a location, and organizing for the ordering of materials. However, we knew that in this program, our director finds an event for all Bonners to volunteer at. We thought if we made this an all Bonner event, rather than just a fourth year event, we could not only solve both issues, but maximize the output of our event.

 

My responsibilites in organizing this event included:

• Collaborating with other Bonner fourth years in the ideation process.

• Researching organizations we could work with.

• Participating in finding and ordering fabrics to create blankets.

• Setting up for the event and cleaning up after the event concluded. 

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During the planning process, we brought up organizations we worked with, had a personal tie to, as well as any ideas or experiences we had that could be relevant. One of my peers shared her experience working at Riley Hospital for Children, specifically with children involved with the Department for Child Services (DCS). We talked about how it was heartbreaking that these children were often without sources of comfort in the hospital and reflected on the experiences of youth in the system. We also reflected on a past experience creating tie blankets for Project Linus, and thought a contribution like this could be of value to these children. We split up responsibilities in this and ensured we were able to donate blankets to Riley, and that we were following necessary protocol. We also worked as a team to come up with food, location, and materials for the event. In addition, we ensured we had a member of the planning process who was in touch with staff at Riley and could faciliate dropping off the completed blankets once the event was concluded.

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My responsibilites in participating at this event included:

• Working in a team to effectively create a polished final product.

• Following required protocol.

• Communicating with team members.

• Instructing peers on the goal, process, and big picture of the event.