Dressed in a Snow White costume and carrying her favorite storybooks, Rachel Oehlert is bringing magic to children in the hospital.
The 24-year-old from Thornton, Colorado, has dyslexia, and as a student, dreaded having to read to the class. When she still couldn't shake her fear of reading aloud as an adult, she decided to step outside of her comfort zone and start reading to sick kids. Three years ago, she bought a Belle from Beauty and the Beast costume, and visited her first children's hospital. She wasn't nervous, and the kids believed she was the real thing, asking her questions about the Beast.
Oehlert has since started her own nonprofit, Truly Make Believe, which has a team of 15 volunteers who dress up like princesses and superheroes to read to sick children. "So many of us need to have that moment of leaving reality for a few minutes," she told The Washington Post. "Doing this has made me a more compassionate human. What started as a simple idea to help me overcome a fear has become a big part of who I am."
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The volunteers often visit Brent's Place in Aurora, Colorado, a home away from home for families with children receiving medical treatment. Program coordinator Cassie Davis told the Post visits from Truly Make Believe volunteers "enable our kids to escape what they're going through and experience pure magic."
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