Almonds aren’t just for eating, and if you don’t believe us, the young patients at Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera, California, will give you the truth.
Whether sliced or slivered, candy-coated or in the hull, it turns out that almonds are the ideal medium for creating various forms of artwork – with the help of a glue gun and enthusiastic art buddies from the Almond Leadership Program.
This past October, at the tail end of a busy harvest season, 16 participants and mentors from the Almond Leadership Program set aside their work obligations to visit hospitalized children recovering from a variety of conditions, from appendicitis to cancer.
Almond Leadership Program Continues to Create Impact
Making a difference in local communities goes to the heart of the leadership program, now in its tenth year. As Jenny Nicolau, manager, Industry Relations at the Almond Board of California (ABC), explains, “Being a leader means making an impact in the industry, the local community and within your own circle of family and friends.”
Participants from the Almond Leadership Program visited young patients at Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera.
The leadership program’s mission is to prepare the next generation of industry leaders to carry California almonds into the future. Since the one-year leadership program was introduced in 2009, it has graduated more than 150 almond industry leaders. Even after a decade, the program continues be an asset to the California agriculture.
“This program educates passionate, knowledgeable and service-oriented individuals who have a desire to step up, speak up and get involved. Being a leader in the California almond industry extends far beyond the orchard floor.”
In this instance, the leadership role extends all the way into the lives of young patients who are thrilled to spend a morning getting a small glimpse at that same orchard floor.
“The annual trip to the Valley Children’s Hospital is just one example of how this year’s leadership class has risen to the top — and continues to serve others,” Nicolau said. “The energy and passion the leadership participants displayed when interacting with the patients was a true testament to the heart of our industry, and its commitment to serve others.”
Community Service Paired with Fun for All
As young patients approached the tables filled with what would soon become almond art, the upbeat melodies of well-loved Disney songs filled the air and encouraged hospital volunteers, staff and the patients’ parents to join the children at the craft tables. Soon, 3-D artwork of almond trees, smiley faces and even basketballs filled the room as leadership participants spoke with the patients about almonds in their different forms.
Amy Russo, child life assistant at Valley Children’s Hospital, manages the Big Hearts for Little Hands program the leadership group participated in. Russo said the Almond Leadership Program’s visit to Valley Children’s Hospital brings an element of normality and nature’s beauty to the young patients.
“During the leadership participants’ visit, patients who have not left their rooms in three days suddenly forget about the fact that they’re in the hospital,” Russo said. “The day before they could have been in constant pain, but now they aren’t thinking about that because they’re having fun. This experience takes their mind to another place.”
The patients’ parents were also delighted to see their children engaged in creating almond art, even if only for a few hours.
“The leadership group’s visit also helps the parents, who are stressed no matter what their child is hospitalized for,” Russo said. “Watching their kid be a kid again makes them feel better; it gives them peace.”
Creating almond art is a community effort — patients, parents and leadership participants were all hands on!
The fun wasn’t limited to art, either. The Almond Board gave each child an educational workbook, An Almond Story, which tells the tale of the almond industry, and donated ever-exciting temporary tattoos. Kids happily applied images of honey bees and shakers harvesting almonds to their hands and arms – leadership participants even took part in the fun!
Participants and mentors had a chance to answer staffers’ questions about ABC, the leadership program and, of course, the almond growing process.
“This experience gives young minds a different perspective on almond growing, and I’m sure as they’re driving by an orchard or in the store they’ll say, ‘I made this or that out of almonds that look like that!’ It creates dialogue and is a learning experience for them.”
“After the leadership group leaves, the hospital staff hear about your visit from patients days later, and they talk about how much fun they had,” Russo said. “Patients will come back a month or a year later and still remember how much fun they had with the leadership group. It makes an impact on them."
In turn, the enthusiasm of one patient — James, an ardent airplane buff — left a big impression on Mark Sherfy, leadership program participant. “I’ve never actually volunteered to do anything like that before,” Sherfy said. “But after that experience, I feel like I could definitely do it again.”
In the end, it was hard to tell who had more fun: the young artists or their helpers. Parents joined their children around the tables full of almond art, smiles full of encouragement, regularly glancing at their children’s faces to see the joy and carefree nature reflected there. “It was fun to see everyone out of their element, and really nice to see the smiles on the kids’ faces,” said leadership program participant Blaine Salisbury. “For me, these are the things that make lasting impressions — and make a difference."
