Rebel Elves begin preparing for holiday festivities
Trio to host back to-school carnival fundraiser
Maybe not all elves are nice, but these helpers are aiming to make the holiday season a little nicer for those in the hospital.
The Rebel Elf Alliance, a charity group made up of North Point High School seniors Liz Nesbit, 17, Francesca Bianco, 16, and Molly Prusia, 16, started last year as a way to deliver some cheer and laughs to children and nurses in the hospitals around the area during the holiday season.
The trio make cards and fill stockings with toys and treats and distribute them to patients in nearby hospitals with the hope that they can make the season merry for all.
“I like seeing the little kids smile,” Bianco of Waldorf said in an interview. “It gives you a sense of accomplishment like you’re doing something right with your life. It’s just really fun.”
The friends came up with the idea for their group and its name one day when they were making cards to hand out to patients. If they were going to be elves, they decided, they were going to be elves that worked outside of the North Pole.
“We think of ourselves as rebels because most elves stay in the workshop with Santa [Clause],” Nesbit of Port Tobacco said. “But we left to go to the hospital and visit patients there.”
Last year, the trio made 250 cards and 80 stockings for patients and nurses at Calvert Memorial Hospital, University of Maryland Children’s Hospital, and Genesis Healthcare – this year, Nesbit said she hopes to increase the number of stockings donated and also visit Johns Hopkins Hospital and maybe University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center.
The cards are homemade and the stockings are filled with stuffed animals, playdoh, chapstick, lotion, pens, paper, coloring books, crayons, hand sanitizer, candy cans and other candy. Gift bags are distributed to nurses with candy and items the girls think they may like.
The group also visited the emergency rooms on Christmas Eve and threw a party for the kids at University Maryland Children’s Hospital with crafts and food.
“Nobody wants to be in a hospital especially around Christmas time,” Nesbit said. “There was a lady there with her daughter at University of Maryland Children’s Hospital, and we had a prize box, and she came up to us and said ‘Can I get one? I’ve been here for a week and I’ve been good.’ It was so adorable. We were able to interact with a group of children and they were so awesome. They were making us laugh.”
“We just want to give them someone to talk to,” Bianco said. “Sometimes these kids can feel like they’re all alone when they’re sick but they’re not. We want them to know someone out there cares about them.”
In preparation to purchase their festive favors, the three are hosting a fundraising event this weekend. The back to-school Carnival will be