Exceptional needs students made sure workers at Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett got some unexpected love while caring for others on Valentine’s Day.

The Elmore Park Middle School students created 100 gift bags for hospital staff. Their functional skills teacher Rachel Taylor hand-delivered them to various departments around the hospital on Friday, Feb. 14.

“I absolutely love this,” Audrey Mills, emergency room nursing manager, said. “I think it’s really awesome, especially for students with disabilities to have the opportunity to serve back when normally it’s us trying to serve them.”

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Two years ago, the hospital staff cared for Taylor’s mom, Shelia Dodd, for a few months in the ICU before she died after a battle with a rare autoimmune disease.

“So I started something called Shelia Smiles just to share her legacy and to say thank you. She was a special education teacher, too, for Bartlett City Schools,” Taylor said, adding that starting Shelia Smiles was also a way for her to deal with her grief, which was challenging. “So I just kind of fell in love with loving on this hospital. Sharing joy with people is contagious.”

She got her class of sixth through eighth graders involved as a way to show them how to give back to others and provide them with valuable work skills.

“A lot of times people pour love into us, and it’s such a good feeling to get to love on others,” Taylor said.

The gift bags are filled with a variety of donated items like badge reels, nursing stickers, candy, and cards with special messages from the students.

“Any time we get to spread a little cheer to our team, it’s a good thing,” Saint Francis-Bartlett Chief Executive Officer Sherwin Stewart said.

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As Taylor made her way through the hospital so did the big smiles and warm hugs from appreciative staff.

“I think a lot of times we get so caught up in the hectiveness and urgency of the moment, so these gifts are a constant reminder that what they are doing is having a ripple effect out into the community,” said Chris Jenkins, the hospital’s chief operating officer.

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Taylor is also helping students at her school make lasting connections. Around 10 years ago, she started an Eagle Buddies program, pairing “typical” students with students in her class.

“It’s a way for friendships to grow and for the students to make real-life connections with more typical peers,” Taylor said, noting that it can be hard for her students to make friends because of their situation. “It’s just nice to see genuine friendships form.”

The program has grown to include 60 students paired with the 11 students in Taylor’s class.

Last year, Taylor and the students made Valentine’s Day bags for Crossroads Hospice, although this year’s project was on a much larger scale.

Jenkins plans to continue Saint Francis-Bartlett’s partnership with Taylor, her students and Shelia Smiles with future projects, including creating badge holders for new hires.