Addy’s Angels is the name chosen by the little girl with the big heart, Adeline Varnado. For her 10th birthday she wanted to collect toys and blankets to be given to children in Acadiana who are undergoing cancer treatment.

Adeline Varnado turned 10 last Thursday. She had a special request for celebrating her birthday. Rather than presents or a party, Adeline wanted to collect gifts to give to children undergoing cancer treatment at a local hospital. Her parents, Kelsea and Jason Varnado, are very proud of their daughter’s request.

“A teacher passed away last year because of cancer and our daughter asked a lot of questions,” Kelsea Varnado said. “She’s a ‘little mother,’ loves to take care of everybody. So I asked a lot of people whose children have had cancer and the Child Life Specialist at Women’s and Children’s. When children are in for treatment, they don’t have anything to do unless they’ve brought things from home.”

Varnado said Adeline prepared a written proposal to take to school and pitched it to the principle at Highland Baptist Christian School. Varnado teaches there and her two children attend as well.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” said Tim Sensley, principle at HBCS. “It shows at her early age character and thoughtfulness. I know at nine I wasn’t thinking about anybody else. Just having a heart to be considerate of those less fortunate touched me. When the idea of collecting toys was presented to me, it was a no brainer.”

Sensley said he didn’t just run with the idea, but rather sent her home to think it through and to talk to her parents. He wanted to make sure her motives were pure and that she fully realized the undertaking the project would entail.

“She showed up the next morning promptly at 7:35 and we visited. That was it,” Sensley said. “I just wanted to make sure that it was something she seriously wanted to do. When she understood that, it was a go.”

Adeline had the opportunity to present her idea, Addy’s Angels, during chapel to all the students at HBCS. The result was an all-in acceptance and a challenge between the elementary school and high school students to see who would collect the most gifts.

“I just said why don’t we help the kids that have cancer,” said Adeline.

The teacher that lost their battle with cancer last year, Sensley and Kelsea Varnado remarked, impacted everyone at the school.

“A lot of times we think of adults facing cancer, but unfortunately, there are a lot of children affected,” Sensley said. “The financial drain keeps (families) from buying certain things because the funds are allocated for treatment.”

Grayson Varnado, Adeline’s little brother, was excited about the competition. The school group that wins for collecting the most toys gets an ice cream party and a free dress day. Sensley said he would personally guarantee a pizza party also was in the mix. As of Wednesday the elementary students were ahead of the high school, they requested the free dress day.

Birthday Continues

Tuesday Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Lafayette will be the recipients of Addy’s Angels toys, blankets and birthday party supplies. Janie Eldridge Franke, a graduate of Catholic High School working as the Child Life Specialist at the hospital, has been assisting the Varnados with the project.

As a certified specialist with a background in childhood development, immediately upon a diagnosis Franke’s job is to help patients and their families cope with the challenges of treatment. She helps with education and understanding surgical procedures or provides activities to help normalize the young patient’s environment during treatment. Her youngest patient is 12 months and oldest is 17 years old. The number of patients actively in treatment is between 35 and 40.

“We have patients that come from once a week to once a day depending on where they are in treatment. Some are admitted and others are outpatients,” Franke said. “We have had others donate toys but never an entire school get behind something of this nature. It’s been incredible to see, from our point of view, how it will impact our patients.”

More to Come

Kelsea Varnado said the boxes of collected toys are filled with puzzles, dolls, colored pencils, art supplies, fleece blankets and insulated cups. Friends and family members also have given Adeline money for her birthday and said to go buy what was still needed.

“Whatever is missing, we’ll go and buy,” Adeline said. “The toys and blankets have to be brand new so they won’t have any germs. They get to take them home. I want to do it again, bigger and bigger every year.”

Sensley said he has to commend the parents on a great job of raising their kids according to scripture. At an early age it is learning by what you see. What he sees in Adeline is a reflection of what they have learned at home.

“Love covers a multitude of sin. At Highland we’re trying to love everyone regardless of the color of skin, where they live or amount in their bank account,” said Sensley. “That’s what this little girl has done. She has inspired me.

“To see someone like Adeline being so selfless, it challenges me,” Sensley said. “We’ve gotten to a point in society where we are so selfish and scripture says ‘what you do for the least of these, you’ve done for me.’ It ignites a fire in me, that’s what great. It becomes contagious. For me, these are the things that need to be flooding the airwaves and newspapers. Faith comes by hearing, and everything we hear is negative. Hopefully this will be the first of many opportunities.”

Franke also said she is inspired. Adeline is putting her desires aside for the sake of other kids. It takes time for the parents to get behind a child like this but it is commendable that her parents are behind her, Franke said.

“I would love to affirm her mom because it is important for children to see how much they can do in this world and it has been really beautiful to see Adeline’s mom and school community get behind her to show what a difference she can make in this world.”

Her mother said one day Adeline hopes to make the activity into a business. She wants to touch the world. Even this process inspired Adeline to do a report on Danny Thomas, the founder of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. At this rate, there’s just no telling how many lives she will touch and how far Adeline may reach around the globe.