GIVING CHILDREN SOMETHING COMFORTING TO HOLD ONTO

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Amy Antone. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Whenever Amy Antone talks to people about her volunteer work, she hears they had a favorite stuffed animal as a child. That’s why she’s motivated to give other children that same level of comfort. In 2018, Amy’s 2-year-old son, Lucas, was injured at a friend’s house while hanging out by the pool. Suffering from an injury to his eye, he had to be rushed to the emergency room. In the heat of the moment, Lucas didn’t have any of his stuffed animals with him to cling to. Instead, he held onto the bloody pool towel that they held above his eye. In that moment, Amy’s mission to provide children with something to hold onto in a moment of stress was born.

Soon after, Amy formed Cuddles of Hope, an organization that provides children with a new stuffed animal to cuddle during an uncomfortable or frightening situation. Amy has built relationships with hospitals, foster care programs and community organizations, raising funds for the stuffed animals and finding children who need them along the way. She’s also responsible for all operational work of the organization, which includes managing volunteers, planning and executing fundraising events, and overseeing the distribution of comfort items to children in need. With the assistance of her husband, Amy handles outreach, program development and the day-to-day requirements of running the organization.

One of Amy’s favorite aspects of running Cuddles of Hope is the relatability of the organization’s mission. She’s heard from endless community members about their own childhood items and how much comfort they gave them during a tough time. She says people like being part of Cuddles of Hope because they understand how simple it is, and they’ve likely been through similar situations. Amy’s ability to fulfill a need is exactly the kind of mission-driven activism that brings a community together.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

In 2018, my 2-year-old son fell and required surgery. We had to take an ambulance to the emergency room because we were at our friend’s house at the pool. All we had was a pool towel over his eye that was bleeding. He held onto that towel the entire time he was getting looked at by doctors and nurses, holding it so tight, looking for comfort. It just tore me apart. All I remember thinking was how I wished I had his stuffed animal. But in emergencies, you can’t prepare for stuff like that. From there, it just hit me how so many kids experience these situations that are not planned, and they’re empty-handed.

What inspires you to volunteer?

It’s something that always came naturally. I could say that I’m very empathetic, but I don’t really think that’s what it is. It’s wanting to make a difference. With this organization, that’s not something that I get right away. A lot of these donations are given to these kids by nurses. We drop them off and we never see the kids who received these stuffed animals, so we never actually see the impact. But we hear stories, and just knowing that it’s making a difference, and hearing how something I did made a difference, makes everything worth it. If I can do something, why wouldn’t I?

Tell us about your volunteer role with Cuddles of Hope.

It’s just my husband and me who run it. I started the organization and made it into a nonprofit. I organize all of the drop-offs, packing donations, events and fundraisers. Everything that has to get done with the organization is what I do. It’s hours and hours of planning, organizing and trying to get the word out. I think most of my success has come through social media and the community that I live in. People know about it and they talk about it. It’s something that people feel good about donating to.

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?

Because we’re based out of Rhode Island, we really started by donating to local hospitals and shelters. As time went on, people from across the country found our organization and what we do, and have reached out to us asking if we could donate to their hospitals or foster care. I would love for it to become like a national organization where we can donate to as many hospitals, foster care homes and shelters as possible, so that anytime a child enters one, they’re getting a stuffed animal to help them go through whatever it is they’re about to go through.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

We don’t hear too much about the impact, but there’s one story that really stuck with me and makes me realize how rewarding it really is. We donate to hospice hospitals, so when children go see a loved one that they’re losing, they have a stuffed animal. I received a message one day from my mom saying her son received a donation from us, and she had been trying to track down where it came from. He received it when his grandmother was in hospice, and he took it everywhere with him, but he lost it. For Christmas, he wrote Santa a letter saying he just wanted his teddy bear back. I was able to find the teddy bear and mailed it to the mom. They were going on a cruise, and it was their first vacation without the grandmother. When he walked into his cabin, the teddy bear was sitting there waiting for him with a note. She sent me the video, and that right there has been the most rewarding. It is actually making a difference for these kids.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

I’ve learned a lot. Not only did I learn how to start a nonprofit and run fundraisers, but I’ve learned who I am and who I want to be. It teaches my kids a lot, which has been great. We do things as a family, like putting together donations. I’ve definitely grown into someone who’s more vocal. I’m okay with people telling me no and moving on, and realizing that just because you get a no doesn’t mean you have to stop. There are many times I felt defeated. There are people out there who are trying to fund research for cancer. It’s been most rewarding realizing that I was able to grow past that, and that it actually does make a difference. It doesn’t always have to be so big; it can just be something as simple as a stuffed animal.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

I was that person. I was always the quiet one who was very introverted. I was always nervous to start new things because I was afraid I was going to do something wrong, or I wasn’t actually going to help. I wouldn’t know what to do. You just have to jump into it. If there’s something that you truly want to do, if you just say this is everybody has a first time trying something, and once you get that first time over with, you’re going to be motivated to keep going. You’re going to be glad you did it. You’re going to volunteer, and you’re going to feel good about it. Just take that first step and think about how everyone has a first day. Once you get past that, it’s so worth it, and it just feels so good to know that you’re making a difference by volunteering.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

Simple things really do make a difference. Not just for the kids, but for the parents as well. Small acts are never actually small. When I started, I thought this was kind of dumb. Is this just a stuffed animal? Is it really going to make a difference? Then I find that we’re helping children in a time when emotions are usually overlooked because they’re dealing with the situation. People tend not to realize what the kids are feeling. Changing a child’s moment is really the way that I like to remember it.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Amy? Find local volunteer opportunities.