Niagara Career and Technical Education Center (N.Y.) SkillsUSA members and their advisors personally delivered a custom coloring book and coloring supplies to a local hospital to make stays brighter for area children. Photo courtesy of the school.
Students at the Niagara Career and Technical Education Center (N.Y.) took their passion for skilled trades beyond the classroom walls with a heartwarming and creative community service project. Teaming up with their SkillsUSA chapter, these students set out to brighten the lives of young patients at John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo — and promoted the value of career and technical education at the same time.
The idea sparked during a brainstorming session among Culinary Arts students Emily Droegmyer (Lewiston-Porter), Sophia Haley (North Tonawanda), and Kaitlyn Meahl (Starpoint). They wanted to do something meaningful, hands-on, and fun — something that reflected both their skills and their compassion. The result? A vibrant, custom-designed coloring book that highlights the various skilled trades programs offered at their high school.
To bring the project to life, the team collaborated with teachers and fellow students from each program. Auto Body student Lily Schoonover (Niagara Wheatfield) lent her artistic talent to help illustrate the pages. Soon, the entire school community was on board — donating crayons, colored pencils and markers to accompany the books.
For Sophia Haley, the project was deeply personal. “I wanted to do this because Oishei Children’s Hospital has done so much for me,” she shared. When Sophia was born, she had a condition called Strabismus or crossed eyes. When she was just 10 months old and again at two years, she had successful surgeries on both of her eyes at the Children’s Hospital to help correct the condition. “Hospitals can be a difficult place for anyone,” Sophia says. “We just wanted to bring a little joy to the hospital community and say thank you in our own way.”
Her classmate Emily Droegmyer added, “The whole process was so much fun. Getting our school and community to come together to make something amazing. Talking about a program and school we love while making kids’ days brighter was incredibly fulfilling.”
“Creating the coloring book was super fun,” agreed Kaitlyn Meahl. “Being able to make something that kids can enjoy was so rewarding. I’m just so glad I had this opportunity before graduating!”
When the final books were ready, students and their SkillsUSA advisors — Lisa Cook, Caitlin Kucharski, and Seth Muck — personally delivered the colorful care packages to Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo. The hospital is a regional leader in pediatric trauma and medical care. Hospital representatives were touched by the students’ creativity and generosity, and the young patients were thrilled to receive such a thoughtful surprise.Through teamwork, talent, and a lot of heart, these SkillsUSA students proved that skilled trades can be not only a career path — but also a way to make the world a little brighter.
