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Dig Pink Tour Hospital Card Project

Author: Julie Matthews
December 26, 2013

Julie Matthews

Julie Matthews

Director of Content & Social Media at The Side-Out Foundation
Julie blogs about her personal experience with leukemia and life from a patient’s perspective.She also writes about Side-Out news and events.She is a race walker, a dog lover, and a dedicated explore.org #bearcam watcher.
Julie Matthews

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Hospital Card Project

A simple gesture from a stranger made my day, and we want you to do the same for other patients.

When you are in the hospital, mail delivery is a highlight of each day. I have a big box full of cards from when I was sick. Most are from friends and family, some are from friends of friends, and a couple are from strangers. One morning I noticed a handmade card on my breakfast tray. It was Valentine’s Day, and I had been in the hospital almost one month. It was such a pleasant surprise, a touching and happy way to break up the daily routine.

Join us in the first Dig Pink® Tour Hospital Cards Project! We will have a card drop box at each official Dig Pink Tour Stop, and the cards will be sent to oncology wards at hospitals in the city where each tournament is held.

Make it as simple or as fancy as you would like! The only guidelines we offer are:

  • Keep it cheery!
  • Maximum card size is 8“x10”
  • Do not include envelopes (and no postage is necessary!)
  • All cards must be turned in at the Tour Stop
  • Don’t write any religious sentiments
  • Don’t use any loose glitter
  • Because we don’t know the diagnosis of each patient, do not use the following phrases:
    • Feel better soon
    • Get well
    • You can beat this
  • Do use phrases such as:
    • Thinking of you
    • Sending good wishes your way!
    • I hope this card brightens your day!
  • Tell them about yourself (How old are you? Do you have any siblings and/or pets? Where are you from?, etc.)!
  • Include a cute joke!
  • Sign the card with your first name and your club name (ex. Northern Virginia Volleyball Association (most patients won’t know what NVVA 13-1 means)).
  • If you are doing a fundraiser, don’t request funds from the patient

Turn it into a club event! Bring some snacks, card making materials and create beautiful wishes for patients in the hospital. The cards will go to all cancer patients, not just those with breast cancer. There is no limitation on the number of cards a team may submit. Take photos while you make them and we’ll share them on the Side-Out Facebook page and pass them along to the hospitals, who may use them in hospital newsletters! Side-Out will be collecting cards at Capitol Hill Classic, Colorado Crossroads, Big South and the Nike Mideast Qualifier.

For more information about the Dig Pink Tour, visit digpinktour.org.

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