Warriors on the Stan State men's basketball team took the time out of their day to make children in the hospital smile with heartfelt cards. Despite the pandemic affecting their lives, these student-athletes put aside their own problems to make the children who are going through life-altering health conditions, happy.
 
Cards for Hospitalized Kids is an internationally known organization and has been spreading hope for almost 10 years. There are over 100,000 kids in hospitals across the country who have been receiving cards and now Stan State's very own have contributed to this amazing cause.
 
 Through the pandemic, people may have felt alone and lost but these kids are dealing with  loneliness every day, not knowing when or if they will get better.
 
 Freshman guard Marlon Short said that it was important to him to make the kids smile because of everything going on in the world today.  
 
 "I wanted to write to the kids because with all the negativity going on in the world today, any positivity is needed and the kids deserve to feel that," said Short. "It's important to put a smile on their faces because these kids inspire  me to be appreciative of everything. They're already going through enough, if the letter I sent can make one kids day it's definitely worth it to me."
 
 Through Cards for Hospitalized Kids, the Warriors wrote inspirational letters to remind these kids to stay strong, be brave and to tell them that they believe in them. Fun artwork covered these special notes as well as the team tuned into their creative sides.
 
 Many athletes go through injuries, possible hospitalizations but some couldn't imagine what these kids must go through and just wanted to make their days.
 
 "As a child, I was once hospitalized due to medical conditions, it wasn't for a long time, but I couldn't imagine having to stay in the hospital for weeks," said Freshman Forward Ramon  Farias, "Giving them a reason to smile makes the best out of a bad situation for them."
 
Farias wanted to give these children hope for their futures and that is why this project was so important to him.
 
"Kids who are hospitalized for long periods of time should have hope that they will get healthy and leave the hospital. Writing a letter to them is the least I could do to put a smile on their face," said Farias.
 
Freshman Forward Michael Anderson reiterated how this project was important because it helps people who are going through tough times to stay motivated. Anderson wanted to keep the kids' heads up, to help them stay strong and let them know how brave they are.
 
The Warriors took the time to make the inspirational cards that will leave a mark on all of the hospitalized children who receive them, making this project, all the more worth the effort.