Art Cart program allows students to engage in creative volunteer role

Kathryn Hinojosa coordinates Art Cart, a program that provides art and crafts activities for volunteers to do with pediatric patients at University Hospital. She knows firsthand the effect a simple art project can have on a child in the hospital.

In one case, a nurse reported that a little boy had been complaining of pain before his Art Cart visit but did not request pain relief afterward.

“He completely forgot that he had pain,” Hinojosa recalled.

Hinojosa will give a presentation on the Art Cart program as part of the Interprofessional Lecture Series.

“I really enjoyed seeing the kids become excited when we would walk in,” Hinojosa said of her volunteer experience. “It just made their hospital experience more comfortable and enjoyable.”

Anyone interested in volunteering with Art Cart should contact the Child Life office at University Hospital at 210-743-2422 for more information.