RIDGEFIELD — Students shuffle through markers and colored pencils in a first-grade classroom at South Ridge Elementary School in Ridgefield on Tuesday.
They draw pictures of basketball hoops, rainbows, trees and sunshine on cards.
One girl writes “I hope you feel better” in black ink.
A few minutes later, Anthony Moro-Baxter, 10, walks into the classroom and starts chatting with students about their cards. Anthony then stands in front of the classroom to give a short speech.
“Thanks for making all these cards,” he says. “You’ll make a lot of kids happy.”
The cards are intended to make about 1,200 kids happy, to be more precise. Anthony started a program called the Hand to Heart Project last year, where students make cards for kids at Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland.
Last year, students made about 300 cards at South Ridge, and this year the school has full participation. Anthony attends Union Ridge Elementary School as a fourth-grader now, and Union is also participating this year, as well as some classes in Sunset Ridge Intermediate School.
Anthony has a unique perspective on what it’s like to be a child in a hospital, since he spent time in Randall for surgery and appointments for a spinal nerve condition.
“I was in the hospital awhile, and there were no kids my age,” Anthony says. “I didn’t know anybody except family. When I got out, I realized a lot of kids are in the hospital. It’s lonely there, and I felt it.”
The nerve condition could have caused long-term paralysis if it hadn’t been detected early.
But it was discovered early, and Anthony was able to get surgery a couple of years ago. Now Anthony is a healthy and happy kid, according to himself and his parents, Karl, 38, and Stephanie, 37. He plays basketball and will be in track this year.
Still, between the surgery and follow-up appointments for his condition, Anthony missed school more than most students, which is something classmates noticed.
LeeOni McKee, the health assistant at South Ridge, says Anthony was made fun of some during that period of time.
“He was really affected by trying to be just a normal kid and trying to cope day-to-day with his unique situation,” McKee says.
“(Kids) notice when you’re gone a lot,” Anthony’s mother said. “They notice when you have special excuses for school, P.E. or whatever it is. And when kids start picking on other kids, that’s when things start getting really rough.”
That led to a conversation between Anthony and his parents, who encouraged him to recognize that he can be happy, regardless of his health outcome.
They told Anthony he had two choices: He could let his condition define him. Or he could do something about it. Anthony decided to make cards for others.
“He didn’t want other kids to feel alone because he knows what it’s like to feel alone,” McKee says.
Boost in confidence
McKee and Anthony’s parents said starting the program has made Anthony more confident.
“It was kind of therapeutic for him in a way,” McKee says. “To see some good come from the circumstance that he was dealing with.”
His confidence is so high now that he can explain Hand to Heart in front of multiple classrooms in one day, like he did Tuesday. He also stopped to hug Chelsea Tipton, a teacher from last year, who told him she was proud of the ripple effect he created with Hand to Heart.
Anthony hopes that ripple effect won’t end anytime soon.
He wants to expand Hand to Heart throughout all grade levels in Clark County.
“More kids need those cards,” he says. “More kids need that joy.”
