Youth Advisory Board Member Reflection: Sophia Bouwkamp (East Grand Rapids '21)

I have been on the Youth Advisory Board for one year now and the experiences and knowledge I have gained have been inspirational and rewarding. I heard about the board from some friends during my sophomore year, so I made sure to apply for my junior year. On the board we receive opportunities that most high school students do not have access to such as unique service opportunities and real world occupation exposure. I have met students from other schools, and it is fun to work together to provide the cure of comfort for children and their families.

One of my favorite mornings was when we made breakfast for the Ronald McDonald House guests. There were two little girls and we colored and laughed with them, while their mom had a break to eat breakfast and take some alone time. We colored Moana coloring pages and it was fun to see their creative insights of what colors went where. We created beautiful pictures together with great team work. The girls were so sweet and kind and cherished their Billy Bears. When we gave them the bears they were ecstatic to receive their bears and hugged them tightly. Their bears were a comfort mechanism that will help them while they are in most need of comfort. Also, the bears are reminders to the children that they are loved.

It is truly incredible to see how much the impact of the Billy Bears have on each child’s life. Ayden, a strong cancer survivor, recently had his dream come true of learning to ice skate and was a natural I heard. Ayden said that his Billy Bear was like his best friend. Ayden’s words are very sweet and show the impact that we have, of making a crucial difference on each child’s life as they need love and support to help them get through their time in the hospital or fighting illnesses while at home. When I heard what Ayden said it almost brought me to tears, because through his words I was able to see how much of an impact the Billy Bear has on his life. On any given day I interact with my friends and sometimes have the opportunity to see them outside of school. However, the children that receive the Billy Bears do not experience this luxury in order to keep them healthy. During the shelter in place for the COVID-19 it has given me a glimpse of what these children experience on a daily basis. The bears are symbols of hope and love for the children and their families during difficult times, when hope and love are needed most.

With my experience at Billy Bear Hug, I had an opportunity to go to a meeting at Hospice of Michigan with some other board members where we saw first hand how the two nonprofit organizations came together in collaboration to help children and their families during difficult times. Charlie was so giving and made sure that Hospice had enough bears and stated that if they needed anything that Billy Bear Hug would do their best to help. Something that truly struck me the most and inspired me, was how one of Hospice of Michigan’s musical therapist’s had an idea and Billy Bear Hug was right on board and allowed for them to alter the bears to give the families a heartwarming gift with the loss of a child. Hospice of Michigan recorded children’s heart beats and put them in the Billy Bears, so when the child passed away, the family had the recording of their child’s heartbeat in a bear that they could hug for comfort.

Recently, Ken Fortier came and spoke with the Youth Advisory Board about his career and successes. Most importantly, what I took away from his speech and the lessons I learned, I would not have received if I was not apart of the Billy Bear Hug Youth Advisory Board. Fortier shared lessons he had learned throughout his life, that everyone should know and these lessons should take prescience in everyone’s life. His lessons were; be grateful and be on time. He talked about being grateful because he took some of his employees to lunch and they did not thank him when he took the bill. If they did not say thank you in the near future he was going to confront them, because he knows the importance of being grateful and also wants his employees to be grateful as well. Being timely is important because it not only shows your respect but helps for any preparations and technology that need to be taken care of. Fortier also talked about how to build a network, which is applicable to any job field, as we will all be entering the work force soon.

The opportunities I have gained while on the Billy Bear Hug Youth Advisory Board have been life changing and have helped shape who I am as a person. I have learned the importance of helping others and the great impact that comes with it. I have also discovered how to be joyful on a bad day through the children that constantly have contagious smilies while fighting life threatening illnesses. The Youth Advisory Board meetings are fun and require collaboration in order to achieve the goals that Billy Bear Hug has. The importance of providing the cure of comfort through teamwork is an essential aspect of the the Youth Advisory Board for the Billy Bear Hug Foundation.