'I Hope They Know That They're Loved': Oologah 5th Grader Collects Crayons For Children's Hospitals Around The Country

Alli Miller is in fifth grade and loves to color and draw.

“It’s fun because it expresses your feelings, and most of the time, I like to do pink stuff because I’m really fashionable, and I love hot pink,” she said. 

She likes it so much that she wanted to make sure every kid gets the same joy from coloring that she does. 

“The Crayon Initiative is where I collect broken crayons, and I ship them to a company, and then they ship them to the hospitals around the country,” said Alli. 

The crayons are made new again and also given a unique design, so they’re easy to grip and can’t roll off hospital trays.

Alli’s heard about what a hospital can be like because her friends got sick. 

“So, I have 2 classmates who have been diagnosed with cancer, and I know spending a lot of time in a hospital can get a little bit boring, so I wanted to do something that I like to do…draw and color,” she said. 

She’s a strong believer that even broken crayons can still color.

“Just throwing those away, that’s kind of wasteful because you can make them better again,” said Alli. 

Alli’s only been collecting for a couple of weeks but has seen massive support from her peers with overwhelming donations.

“Like huge bags full, from the high school and middle school, and just people coming around,” she said. 

Even if a kid is battling an illness, Alli still hopes they can experience the same things she can. 

“It makes me feel good because we’re all the same in our own ways, but if someone needs help, they need someone to get them up on their feet,” she said. 

And this is her way of making a difference-- one crayon at a time.  

“I hope they know that they’re loved,” said Alli.