Local Group Celebrates 60,000 Pillowcases Made For Children's Hospital

It’s called Ryan’s Cases For Smiles, and today they are giving smiles number sixty thousand.

“They’re ill, they’re in the hospital, they’re uncomfortable, and we just want to make their day a little brighter,” said Ded Wood, Metro OKC Chapter Coordinator for Ryan’s Cases For Smiles.

Once a month, every month the group of about twenty-five get together and make pillowcases for the kids in the Children’s hospital. “Bright, colorful, cheerful, made them smile.

And while it’s all for a great cause the ladies admit it is a lot of fun. “A lot of fun. It’s my give back to the world, and theirs’s too,” said volunteer Gayle Patterson.

“We’re always looking for new sewers, ironers, cutters, people to package the pillowcases,” said Wood.

They are starting to attract younger workers like Brynn from UCO. “I have to volunteer for my scholarship, and I would rather volunteer at places that I enjoy going to and I have fun with these ladies,” said volunteer Brynn Gregory.

The group has been coming together since 2008 and today they completed pillowcase number sixty thousand. “It’s a big number, like we say it’s more than just a smile, it’s a big number for us and we’re very proud of that,” said Wood.

“We’re so surprised that we are making sixty thousand. I mean like it’s surprising us too,” said Patterson.

As the group gathered for lunch representatives from the Children’s Hospital came to accept to special gift. “We have patients that when they come into the hospital, they will bring back maybe a pillowcase that they got on a four of five trips ago and I know I am going to get a new one while I’m there,” said Kelly Alexander with Oklahoma University Children's Hospital.

There are currently no men in the group, but volunteers say they are welcome to come out. All supplies are purchased by volunteers or through outside donations. If you’d like to join the fun or donate, visit www.caseforsmiles.org/oklahoma