It was a simple doodle on a whiteboard, made by her daughters, that inspired Jeni Hunter. Her father, Dave Johnson, has been a patient at Providence Care Hospital for the last several weeks, recovering from hip surgery. After seeing the joy her daughter’s art brought her father, she devised a plan to surprise her father, along with every patient and client of the hospital, with a homemade children’s Christmas card. 

“There’s nothing quite like something a child has made. It’s full of love.” 

The mother of two, who works in an administrative support role with the Limestone District School Board at Loyalist Collegiate and Vocational Institute (LCVI) and sits on the parent council of Tamworth Public School, decided to ask the students and parents in her life if they would consider making Christmas cards to distribute throughout the hospital, starting in her father’s rehabilitation unit.  

“We had kids stay after school to help make cards,” explains Jeni. “We talked to them about Providence Care and if they knew what it was, and almost all of them did. Most had uncles and papas and grandmas, and all sorts of family members go through the organization. Teachers I spoke with had family at hospice and said how much they appreciated their time there, and all the staff. My friend suggested we get the kids to help hand out the cards and everything grew from there.” 

On a December afternoon with Christmas carols in the background and hot chocolate to go around, patients of Dave’s unit gather in the dining room as Jeni’s children Madie and Alice, along with a few other children from Tamworth Public School, distribute cards to patients. 

“She’s amazing,” says Dave about his daughter. “She does this every time, surprises me with extra effort. This is what she does. Kids at the school are lucky to have her, and what she’s doing here at the hospital now is truly amazing,” he adds with a smile. 

Among the students handing out cards is grade seven student Alexandra Quinlan. Her mother, Shelly, runs the after-school program at Tamworth Public School, where many of the cards being handed out were created.  

“I’m really excited to share Christmas with everyone here,” says Alexandra. “I hadn’t really thought about how people who are in the hospital wouldn’t be home or with the people they love for the holidays before. I have my own nanny who lives far away and can’t travel, and I thought about how she feels when someone’s able to bring her gifts, and I just really wanted someone else to feel like that,” she explains. 

Between LCVI, Tamworth Public School and Palace Child Care, Jeni had 270 cards created. One for every patient and client at the hospital.  

“It brought a smile to my dad’s face to have a little bit of something in his room, and I hope that it does the same for everyone here… it’s important to me to teach my kids the importance of small gestures,” says Jeni. 

By the end of the afternoon, 30 patients on Dave’s unit have a card in hand, delivered personally by a child. Volunteers will distribute the remaining cards to patients and clients across Providence Care Hospital in the coming days. What began with a whiteboard doodle has turned into a gesture that reminds hundreds of people they’re not forgotten this holiday season. 

You can give to local health care this holiday season through Providence Care’s fundraising arm, University Hospitals Kingston Foundation. Until Dec. 31, 2025, angel donors will match every donation—up to $100,000—so your generosity goes twice as far. Donate today!