With a can of cherry-red spray paint in his hand, 16-year-old Luke Ramsey went to work. Ramsey, a teenager from Skippack, Pa., was standing on a tarp covering a large portion of his front yard. With coats of paint, he gave new life to two newspaper vending boxes that had long been out of commission.
Restoring the boxes wasn't merely a passion project. Ramsey viewed them as an opportunity to make a difference for Temple Health patients.
Ramsey recently refurbished the boxes and converted them into "little libraries" that he donated to Temple University Hospital–Main Campus and TUH–Northeastern Campus. The libraries, each filled with several-dozen books, now occupy waiting rooms at infusion centers at both hospitals in the Temple Health system.
“The little libraries were more than a project to me. They are a way to bring moments of comfort and happiness to patients at Temple Hospital," Ramsey said.
More than a year ago, as Ramsey began working toward earning the rank of Eagle Scout, he contemplated the type of community service project that would have a lasting and meaningful impact on others. He arrived at a project for which he would lead a group of scouts in rehabbing and eventually donating two "little libraries," filled with books that could provide a welcome distraction for the patients who might read them.
Patients with chronic or complex medical conditions are among those who most often receive infusion therapies, which deliver medications and treatments directly into the bloodstream for more effective results. An average infusion treatment might take between 60 minutes and several hours.
"These libraries will provide patients and families with access to books while they wait for appointments or receive treatment, offering a source of comfort, distraction, and enjoyment during what can often be a difficult time," said Roxana Taveira, associate vice president of oncology services at Temple Health. It is a thoughtful project that reflects both community service and compassion for our patients."
Today, the "little libraries" are available to infusion patients in the waiting room at TUH-Main along with the waiting room at TUH-Northeastern for infusion, colonoscopy, and endoscopy patients. Both boxes double as memorials to Janice Carter, a longtime Temple Health nurse who passed in 2020. She had been an avid reader.
Said Ramsey: "Inspired by the memory of Janice Carter, a meaningful part of the Temple outpatient center at the Northeastern Campus, I hope these libraries can carry forward the kindness and joy she brought to others."
"This project came together in a wonderful way, both supporting Temple Health patients and Janice's memory," said Luke's father, Andy Ramsey, who serves as the director of ambulatory and home infusion pharmacy at TUH–Northeastern Campus. "Obviously, I'm very proud of my son's work, as well as the impact this project will create for Temple Health patients."