Bringing Joy to Kids in the Hospital During the Holidays - The Greyson Project
Spreading Joy: The Gift of Giving with The Greyson Project
The holiday season is a time of warmth, joy and giving. In the spirit of spreading love and happiness, The Greyson Project has been working tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of those finding themselves in a difficult situation. Through their heartwarming initiative of distributing gift bags full of items to decorate the hospital rooms of kids during the holidays, they've turned the season of giving into a celebration of compassion and community.
Everyone is invited to participate with The Greyson Project. When you build and donate a bag, you’ll help transform a hospital room into a little corner of home. Inspired by Greyson’s story, the work of The Greyson Project brings comfort to families when they need it most. And the impact goes far beyond what meets the eye.
Greyson's Story
In late 2010, Greyson's family spent an unexpected and difficult time in the hospital over what is usually a magical time of year — the holiday season. Their 9-month old baby boy was experiencing a sudden and unexpected health issue. Friends and family gathered for weeks to sit, sooth and eventually say goodbye to this sweet boy.
Their time in the hospital was marked by a special care package from family members containing everything they needed to decorate the room for Christmas. All who visited were struck by the fact that this was the only room with decorations and what a difference it made when you stepped into Greyson's room.
As a tribute to Greyson, the tradition lives on! For over 10 years, The Greyson Project has been delivering bags of decorations to families spending the holidays in children’s hospitals across the country!
Learn more about The Greyson Project's origins in the video below. Then check out what to include in your bag
further below.
How to Donate and Participate
Your goal is to brighten up the room of a child who won't be going home for the holidays by providing a bag full of holiday decorations for their hospital room! Put together a gift bag with a minimum value of $20 to $30 of brand new items from the approved items list (below).
Horizon West Magazine has partnered with The Greyson Project to serve as a convenient drop-off location in Horizon West. You can drop off your bag(s) to our office inside of ScribbleSpace. It's just that easy!
The Greyson Project will collect all the bags from the designated drop locations and deliver them to our area's Children's Hospitals, including Arnold Palmer Hospital, Nemours Children's Hospital and several others.
The impact you can make with delivering a holiday gift bag extends far beyond the tangible items they distribute.
Deadline: December 18, 2025
Horizon West Drop-Off Location:
Horizon West Magazine Office at ScribbleSpace
13790 Bridgewater Crossings Blvd., Suite 1080
Windermere, FL 34786
Drop-Off Times:
Mon-Fri - 10am - 4pm
through December 18, 2025
To connect and see The Greyson Project within our community, visit The Greyson Project Facebook page and their website at thegreysonproject.org.
Kudos to Local Students for Participating!
Join us in giving a huge round of applause for the National Elementary Honor Society students at Keene’s Crossing Elementary, who came together to create 100 holiday decor bags for children spending the holidays in the hospital for The Greyson Project's 2025 season.
With the guidance of their advisors, Jennifer Casademont and Jennifer Scraper, 21 fifth-grade students not only helped shop for and assemble the bags, but also launched a schoolwide campaign. They created videos, rallied their families and friends, and inspired their entire school community to give back.
The advisors shared in an email, "The most meaningful part of coordinating this is seeing the students work hard to give back to others. They were genuinely excited about giving these donations to other children and wanted to lift their spirts this holiday season. Also, the support from the school community and the amount of donations we received showed how much everyone cares about helping others."
To these students and all who participated, Horizon West Magazine thanks you for leading with kindness and showing just how powerful young hearts and helping hands can be!
The Women's Circle Assembled Bags at Monthly Meeting
The Women's Circle is a group of women who get together monthly for discussions and speaker sessions. They are focused on building meaningful connections and personal growth. New members are welcome any time.
In their December meeting, the ladies took time to work on their vision boards for the upcoming year, but they also brought donations and worked together to assemble nine festive holiday decor bags for The Greyson Project!
Approved Items List:
- Artificial Tree - 4ft tall or under
- Christmas lights - battery operated lights only please - the rooms have limited outlets, don't forget the batteries!
- Garland (artificial)
- Stockings
- Shatter proof ornaments and decorations for the tree
- Hooks to hang the ornaments
- Window Clings or Window Markers
- DIY decorations or craft kits
- Tree skirt
- Fun non skid socks
Please:
- No food
- No real plants
- No breakable ornaments or figurines (glass, ceramic etc.)
- No stuffed animals
Remember:
All bags should have a minimum value of $20-$30 and items should have the tags on them.
Label your bag with The Greyson Project Tag (print your tags here). This allows the hospital staff to read labels and ensure all of their safety requirements are met.
Happy shopping and thank you for supporting this wonderful cause with us!
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