Like many young people this time of year, Haylee and Aubrey are going back to school. This year, these girls are going back to class as businesswomen, philanthropists, and new friends to the nursing staff at WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital.
The sisters from Fayetteville spent their unexpected spring quarantine cheering up their neighbors and spreading “good vibes” in their community. The girls sent cards to senior citizens, wrote inspirational messages around their neighborhood with chalk, and sold bracelets to benefit WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital.
“One day we were super bored,” said Haylee. “We decided to start selling our bracelets, and we put up a table outside with a sign that said all donations would go for Chambersburg Hospital.”
In May, the girls say their business unexpectedly took off, with the whole neighborhood arriving to their stand to buy bracelets.
“We were there with the sign, and one guy came driving up and just gave us money,” they recalled. “The one family across the street came and said the whole family wanted bracelets!”
In all, the girls raised $71. They bought a gift card and donated it to the WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital Critical Care Unit, so the nurses could have lunch.
“Gifts like the one the girls gave us, mean so much more than I think they can even imagine, said Amber Rephann, Nurse Manager of the Critical Care Unit. “This one specifically brought me to tears.”
In return for their gesture, the nursing staff took a group photo and sent Haylee and Aubrey a thank you note.
“We thought it would only help them a little bit,” said Aubrey. Haylee added, “We were happy and excited when the note came in the mail, I didn’t know they would send something back to us.”
Rephann added the support from the entire community has been overwhelming.
“We can’t say enough about the love we have felt pouring in from our community. We do what we do each day because we love nursing. We never expect the community to love us in return, so these gestures from total strangers are very emotional. We are very blessed to have the backing of the community during this time.”
To donate to WellSpan Health's efforts in this pandemic, please visit WellSpan's Coronavirus 'I Want to Help' webpage.