Atholton Church Youth Create ‘Boredom Buster Bags’ for Hospitalized Children

Photos courtesy of Anastacia Ferguson-Bansie

On March 18, the youth group at the Atholton church in Columbia, Md., created Boredom Buster Bags to donate to Children’s National Hospital in Washington. The bags, which contain toys, games, books, and other items, are designed to help hospitalized children pass the time during their stays.

The Atholton youth met at the church on Sabbath afternoon as part of Global Youth Day to assemble and package the Boredom Buster Bags. They also recorded themselves reading children’s stories to create videos that will later be played for the hospitalized children.

The project was organized by Associate Pastor Anastacia Ferguson-Bansie and the church’s youth director, Michael Martell. Ferguson-Bansie said she hoped the initiative would help the church’s young people understand that “love is a verb.” She explained that the project, “raises the awareness of what other young people their age and younger are facing and gives them an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.”

The church is also continuing to collect new toys throughout the month for Bear Closet, which helps hospitalized children celebrate their birthdays in the hospital.

“Doing something for God doesn’t have to mean standing behind a pulpit,” Ferguson-Bansie said. “It’s all about how we can integrate service into everyday life.”