Junior Julie Kraus walked through Johns Hopkins Hospital’s hallways with her boyfriend and cancer patient senior Don Linardi. As they strolled through the hospital, they saw a young girl laughing and smiling with her mother. The pair was celebrating the daughter’s release from quarantine after three months. Kraus knews that she needed to put smiles on more cancer patients’ faces and give back.

Over a year later, Kraus, now a senior, has decided to bring those smiles to life by using paint-filled balloons and darts. On Friday, April 26, Kraus set up six canvases that had outlines of the cancer awareness ribbons duct taped on them.

Attached to the canvases were paint-filled balloons, which students were able to throw darts at for one dollar per throw. “I think the day went better than I ever could’ve imagined. We raised about $420,” Kraus said.

Senior Mackenzie Rayburn, a participant in Kraus’s project, enjoyed the interesting project. “I really enjoyed Julie’s senior project because it was unique and a fun way to raise money. It was cool because it was fun and interactive and was a way to be artistic. It was a creative way to raise money as well as decorate the hospital and donate to cancer,” Rayburn said.

Thinking back to that mother and daughter she saw over a year ago, Kraus understands how important of a moment that was. “Seeing her and realizing that Johns Hopkins and the people there are the ones who gave her the opportunity to be able to sing and laugh and smile after being quarantined for three months, as well as [Linardi’s] life, was such an eye opener and made me appreciate what those nurses and doctors do,” Kraus said.

Ashley Beyer is a Lifestyles Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.