At Saint Mary’s, caring for patients means more than medical treatment—it’s about creating moments of comfort and reassurance, especially for children facing an emergency visit. Thanks to a meaningful partnership with the Russellville Junior Auxiliary Provisional Class, Saint Mary’s Emergency Department now has a supply of stuffed animals and toys to help ease those stressful experiences. 

This donation is part of the Provisional Class’s "Bravery Kit Drive," a community service initiative inspired by a shared desire to bring a sense of love, safety and support to young patients. 

“Each year, the provisional class creates a project to serve our community,” said Katye Jones, Quality Director at Saint Mary’s and a Junior Auxiliary provisional member. “This year, one of our selected projects was the Bravery Kit Drive, which we created with the hope that these items would bring comfort to children who may feel scared, hurt or alone.” 

Jones and fellow provisional member Lauryn Gore, RN, who also serves as Saint Mary’s director of Emergency Services and ICU, led the project from the beginning. 

“Lauryn and I spearheaded the effort, pitched the idea to our class, organized the donation event and implemented the process within the hospital,” said Jones. “We created fun tags to attach to each item, found space for storage and worked with our team to ensure staff know how and when to offer them to patients. Of course, we also contributed items ourselves.” 

Because both Jones and Gore have strong ties to the ER—Lauryn as its director and Katye as a former ER nurse—they knew from experience how intimidating an emergency visit can be for a child. 

“We wanted to bring a little light into a dark moment,” said Gore. “Being part of this effort on both sides—helping organize the donation and seeing the joy it brings our patients—has been incredibly meaningful. These simple gifts truly help comfort children during tough moments.” 

The entire Junior Auxiliary provisional class and chapter members came together to bring the project to life—creating tags and bows, promoting the drive and donating a wide variety of stuffed animals, toys and kid-friendly items. 

“The ER can be frightening, especially for children who don’t understand the environment and may already be in pain,” Jones added. “Even a small item can make a big difference. It gives them something to hold, focus on and find comfort in.” 

From a quality and patient experience standpoint, Jones notes how meaningful these small touches can be. 

“No one wants to be in the hospital, and for children, it's especially hard. Something small, like a stuffed animal or toy, can help them feel more at ease and improve their overall experience,” she said. “And our nurses are thrilled to have something they can give to help ease that fear. They pour their hearts into caring for children.” 

The mission of the National Association of Junior Auxiliary is to make a lasting difference in communities, with a focus on children in need. Provisional members, like Katye and Lauryn, are in their first year of membership and participate in hands-on projects while learning about the organization’s values and service goals. The group’s motto—Caring Hearts. Helping Hands. Changing Lives.—is clearly reflected in the success of this effort. 

At Saint Mary’s, we believe healthcare goes beyond medicine. Emotional comfort, especially in high-stress environments like the ER, plays a vital role in healing, and partnerships like this one with Junior Auxiliary highlight the power of community working together to make a difference. 

On behalf of the entire Saint Mary’s team, we thank the Russellville Junior Auxiliary Provisional Class for helping us deliver not just care, but comfort, to the children we serve.