A group of boys and girls from the Fellsmere Elementary School Ukulele Club recently strummed their way into the hearts of patients, staff and visitors at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital during their third annual Holiday Cheer Tour.

The little darlings gave everyone a good dose of holiday cheer, which was just what the doctor ordered. Having to be in the hospital over the holidays is a little like getting coal in your stocking, so the ukulele playing combined with sweet, angelic voices brightened everyone’s day.

“The caregivers and patients at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital truly appreciated the carolers from Fellsmere Elementary,” said Angela Dickens, vice president of marketing and community relations.

“They helped to spread holiday cheer and brought smiles to many faces as they sang festive songs throughout the main hospital, Scully-Welsh Cancer Center and the Health & Wellness Center. We enjoyed their visit and look forward to hosting them again next year.”

Sara DiPardo, Fellsmere Elementary music teacher, first took her third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students caroling three years ago, when her grandmother, Marianne Hinz, was in a nursing home, seeing it as a way to spread some joy.

“We spent more time on the bus traveling from nursing home to nursing home than we did singing that first year,” said DiPardo. “So the second year, we stopped to visit my grandmother before coming to the hospital. It was so much fun, because we got to sing to so many people.”

DiPardo has several personal connections to CCIRH – her husband is employed there, her mother is one of its longest-standing employees, and DiPardo and her children were all born there.

Although recognizing that holidays are an especially lonely time of year for patients in the hospital, DiPardo hadn’t realized how far-reaching their visit would be.

“The employees and visitors enjoyed our performance as well. People forget that everyone needs a little holiday cheer,” she added.

“Everybody needs a moment to get away mentally from the physical pain or whatever is going on in their life right now. Music is the perfect way to reach somebody. They remember singing that song with their loved ones, or dancing to it as an elementary school student, or just watching these kids.”

DiPardo received a classroom set of ukuleles this year, which has enabled the students to take their performance to the next level.

“We practice twice a week in the morning before school. All these kids volunteer to come in early to school to practice with the ukuleles. We’re fortunate that our administration sees how important it is, not just for the people we are singing to, but for the kids to see and experience this too.”

In addition to the children all getting a big check mark in Santa’s good column, they were treated to a picnic lunch at Riverview Park in Sebastian, compliments of Mo-Bay Grill.