Holly the Elf brings Christmas joy to Chicago area kids in the hospital through Holiday Heroes

By Noel Brennan

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — The hospital is no place for a kid to be around the holidays, but one Chicago organization – Holiday Heroes – does its part to make kids more comfortable.

Christmas is right around the corner, but there’s no place one particular elf would rather be than at 3-year-old Finley’s side.

“He is inpatient right now, and he’s been here for 15 days or so. Somewhere in there. I’ve lost count,” said his mother, Jessica Edgar.

Holly has traveled from Santa’s workshop at the North Pole bring warmth to Finley and other children at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield. To kids like Finley, days at the hospital are a blur, but his mom, will remember the moment an elf just doing her job for Holiday Heroes brought a bit of Christmastime joy to Finley.

“It’s amazing. Our mission is simply to spread joy to pediatric patients in the hospital,” said Holiday Heroes executive director Lynn Reckamp. “We just kind of take their mind off what they’re going through, and bring some happiness.”

“You know, at the North Pole, we’re like really busy this time of year. We’re doing all kinds of stuff,” Holly said.

Holiday Heroes brings kids in the hospital gifts such as activity boxes, sensory bags, and other supplies.

“It’s a whole bunch of squishes, and stress balls, and stuff that makes weird noises, because of course, we’re elves. I mean, you should see us when we drink an entire gallon of syrup,” Holly said.

Holiday Heroes brightens days for brave kids at 18 different hospitals across Chicagoland. They visit each one four times a year.

Elf selfies and hospital room dance parties come at no cost to families or hospitals.

“Yeah, visits from elves are awesome. That’s cool. That’s unexpected,” mom Nicole Sivek said.

“I feel like you can never have too many awesome things, right?” Holly said. “I think we bring them memories. I think we bring them something else to take home from the hospital.”

But the greatest gift an elf can give is comfort and joy.

Since 2009, Holiday Heroes has brought joy to more than 54,000 kids and their families.

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