Teen’s Senior Project Brings Joy to the Residents of Nursing Home
Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
Ruth Stafford Peale, American author, editor and speaker once said, “Find a need and fill it.” That is exactly what one local teen has done recently. Kristen E. Ramey, a senior at Boyd County High School, is a very accomplished young lady already. Ramey is Co-Captain of the Girls Varsity Golf Team, Key Club President, member of Beta Club, National Honors Society, Spanish Club, a Distinguished Leader, and a former Youth Leadership Program member.
Being a senior at BCHS, Ramey was given the task of completing a senior project. “I’ve heard that having a senior project means that you need to find a need in the community and try and to fulfill that need,” shared Ramey. She pointed out that many people have endured such loss, hardship, sadness and isolation these past few years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Ramey quickly knew that her senior project would need to be something that would not only fill a need in the community but also bring some cheer to those who needed it most. Ramey went on to add, “I just thought that people could use a little happiness and social interaction.”
Having the opportunity to hear about Ramey’s project made one thing very clear… this young lady had a heart of gold. Our elderly population has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and because of that many have had so much taken away from them. Many of the elderly population spend days in the solitude of their homes because they fear coming in contact with the Covid-19 virus. For others, their days are spent in local nursing homes. Once Ramey realized that her project needed to touch the lives of those individuals, she quickly went to work. Ramey noted, “The elderly population was so susceptible to the Covid-19 virus, especially in the early days of the pandemic. Many of them spent so much time by themselves with zero contact from anyone for nearly three years. This isolation was even worse on those who were very social before the pandemic. So, I knew I wanted my project to be something that would bring some happiness into the lives of those who were hit so hard by the pandemic.”
Having recently earned her certification in floral design, Ramey decided to put that new-found skill to good use. “Flowers make me happy, so I had hope that they would bring others the same happiness. My mom helped me come up with the idea of making flower arrangements for the residents of a local nursing home,” stated Ramey. While our area has many options for nursing homes, Ramey ended up deciding on Boyd County Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center. “I wanted to use my certification to the best of my ability and share a little light with the residents of the Boyd County Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center. I started my project by pricing the vases, flowers and filler flowers,” shared Ramey. After calculating everything, Ramey figured out she would need around $250 to complete her project.
Now that she had a price of the cost of materials and had received permission from Boyd County Nursing Home and Rehabilitation to go ahead with the project, Ramey quickly came up with an idea to raise the funds needed for her project. “I knew I had to come up with and organize a fundraiser for my project. My mom suggested that I sell homemade grape jelly that I had learned how to make a few years ago. I liked the idea, so we went out and bought ingredients to make it happen. The grape jelly was a hit! I ended up selling three entire cases of it, which totaled around $360. This was just enough for the cost of the arrangements, and the rest of the money went to supplies already used,” explained Ramey.
Selling her delicious grape jelly at just $10 a jar, Ramey quickly sold every jar as customers were eager to not only get their hands on this hot commodity but were also excited to help Ramey complete a project that would bring so much joy to others. “Doing this project makes me feel happy because I love to help people and spread kindness anytime that I can. Community service is a passion of mine, so it is a top priority,” noted Ramey.
Ramey completed a total of 60 flower arrangements and hand-delivered them to the residents of the nursing home. The residents were not only surprised by Ramey’s random act of kindness but were absolutely thrilled to receive their beautiful flower arrangements. Ramey truly did bring a little sunshine and happiness to those who needed it most. The world needs more big hearts like that of Kristen Ramey’s.
