A Shelton fourth-grader is helping make the world a better place — one lamb at a time.
Alexis Klimaszewski, 10, this weekend delivered 159 gift bags — each filled with a stuffed lamb, a book and a heart-felt poem written by Alexis — to Bridgeport Hospital’s neo-natal intensive care unit.
The gift bags were part of a Girl Scout project she created called “Lexi’s Lambs for Little Ones.”
“As a baby, I was put into the [neo-natal intensive care] unit for a few hours,” Alexis said. “That’s why I wanted to do this project.”
But why lambs?
“Lambs are sort of my signature animal,” Alexis said. “I have my own stuffed lamb that I’ve had since I was 4; it means a lot to me.”
Alexis created this project in order to receive the Bronze Award for her Junior Girl Scout Troop 60672.
But before she could tackle the main aspect of the project, Alexis had to first fulfill several pre-project requirements, such as earning leadership badges. She began working in the fall.
“I started early because there was a lot to do and you have to focus on the project and I wanted to get that done,” Alexis said.
By March, Alexis said she had met her requirements and was able to start bringing “Lexi’s Lambs for Little Ones” to life.
Laura Klimaszewski, Alexis’ mom, said in order to make the project a reality, Alexis worked hard to get donations.
“Lexi put out letters everywhere — to local businesses, family and friends,” Klimaszewski said. “We even brought her all around the neighborhood, probably within a mile radius, and stuffed people’s mailboxes with letters.”
In the end, Alexis’ hard work resulted in the collection of nearly $2,000 in donations and merchandise, more than they ever thought they’d receive, Klimaszewski said.
“We originally thought we’d do 50 [gift bags] because we never thought we’d get enough money to be able to provide more,” Klimaszewski said. “I was very surprised.”
Alexis too said she was surprised by the outpouring of support she received from people.
“I thought it was really great that so many people wanted to help,” Alexis said. “I didn’t think that many people would, so I was really proud of everyone.”
Although the project was a lot of work, Alexis said she enjoyed working on it.
“Seeing all the support people were giving me and seeing it all come together, that was probably my favorite part,” Alexis said.
Beyond getting an award, Alexis said she hopes the gift bags bring joy to the newborn babies and the families that receive them.
“I think it will be a great feeling for them to go home with something they can look back on and remember when they are my age,” Alexis said.