Sometimes a community service project is so good, it keeps coming back over and over. That has been the case in Kuwait, where YES alumni are continuing their annual tradition of hosting a big party for the young patients and their families at the NBK Children’s Hospital for Cancer and Neurological Disorders.

This year, the alumni decided to switch things up by hosting the event a bit early so it would coincide with Kuwait’s National Day (February 25th) and Liberation Day (February 26th). To celebrate those important holidays, the children’s hospital party took place on February 28th.

Ten alumni worked together starting at the beginning of February to plan the event. They approached several companies for sponsorship.  The premium sponsor of the event was Talabat Company which covered the costs of t-shirts, gifts for the children, an iPhone 7Plus for one especially sick patient, photographers, a magic show, and chairs to seat the guests. 

Other sponsors also stepped up to help out, thanks to the hard work of the YES alumni network. Mais Al-Ghanim Restaurant offered a dinner buffet, City Star provided offered gift vouchers, Fantasy World and Baroue gave extra gifts for the children, Teamwork Ad Company covered the costs of TV and press coverage, and Arwa Printing Press paid for printing invitation cards for the party.

The alumni also invited the newly recruited YES finalists to help out with the event, and all of them came together on February 28th.

Around 150 patients attended the event, including some who reside in the hospital and others who are outpatients. Parents and siblings joined the children as well.  The party featured a wide variety of fun games, giveaways, face painting, a magic show, and a puppet show.  To assist the professional entertainers, four alumni dressed in cartoon costumes to welcome the children and interact with them during the party.  

Every year, the number of guests has increased and the reputation of this exciting celebration has grown among patients and their families. Each year draws in more sponsors as well, as local businesses increase their interest in cost-sharing so they can take part in the big event.

The party could have continued all day, but all good things must come to an end. To finish, the President of the Kuwait YES Alumni Association, Ali Sultan (YES 2015 – 2016, hosted by ACES in Oregon, OH) offered closing remarks and thanked the hospital administration and its staff for their cooperation.

The hard work of these alumni once again paid off, as demonstrated by the press coverage in at least four main Arabic newspapersAl-Rai TV, a major channel in Kuwait.

Successful YES alumni activities often draw on the experiences the alumni had in the US, and this event was no exception. Saleh Al-Farej (YES 2015 – 2016, hosted by AYA in Effingham, SC) explains, “I wanted to take part in planning for this party because I know how important it is to make children who have cancer happy, it helps better their emotional state which in turn helps strengthen their immunities to fight cancer.  This is part of giving back to my country, Kuwait.  I have learnt in the US that we should be useful members in our society and our communities, so this is ongoing event that I would like to always work on to give back to the people I belong to.”

Photo: Ali Sultan (YES 2015 - 2016, hosted by ACES in Oregon, OH) delivers the parting speech

Ali agrees, adding ““This event brought tears to my eyes.  All throughout the event I was thankful to God that I got this honor of putting a smile on the faces of children who REALLY need it.  The year I spent in the USA has taught me a lot especially through the community service hours that I had to complete.  I got to know how important it is to care for others, to give a hand to those in need, to be part of one’s own community. That is how we build a better society and make it stronger – by working together.  I happy to be part of the YES team and was grateful that we came together hand in hand to plan for this event and implement it.  It was a lot of hard work, but the smiles we saw on the faces of these young patients were truly worth it. I will be part of this project every year!” 

Photo: YES alumni and newly selected YES finalists pose together while volunteering