Sheri Waldstein has witnessed again and again that a small gift can change a child’s day. She grew up in Los Angeles and has spent the past 40 years as an entrepreneur designing fashion accessories and building a nonprofit organization. Today she lives in Rolling Hills Estates, where she continues to lead Happy Hats for Kids, which she founded in 1991 after losing her young brother, Michael, to cancer.
“I lost Michael, my mother, father, grandmother and husband to cancer, and then my only son to an accident,” says Sheri of the losses that shaped the work that would become her life’s mission. “I hope to uplift the spirits and bring smiles and happiness to hospitalized children fighting cancer and other critical illnesses.”
For 35 years, Happy Hats has delivered colorful hats and gifts to children in hospitals. The organization now partners with more than 100 hospitals and operates with a small staff and about 40 volunteers. To date, more than 1 million gifts have been distributed to hospitals worldwide, including Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Providence TrinityCare Hospice, Providence Little Company of Mary and MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital.
One encounter, in particular, showed Sheri why the work mattered. At Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach, she and a child life specialist were preparing to deliver holiday hats to young patients. A nurse warned her about the next child, Brandon, who had advanced cancer and was angry enough that he might throw the hat at her.
Sheri walked into his room carrying several holiday Happy Hats. “I said, ‘Brandon, I have a Happy Hat gift just for you. Would you like one?’”
He nodded, so she asked him to choose. Brandon pointed to a colorful red-and-green joker hat decorated for Christmas. She asked whether she could put it on his head. Again, he nodded.
Then Brandon surprised her: “Can I have one for my sister?”
Sheri told him to pick one for her too. Then came an even more unexpected request.
“He asked me if he could give me a hug,” recalls Sheri, who leaned down and Brandon put his arms around her shoulders.
“I left the room crying,” she says. “I later thought, Look what a little love and a Happy Hat can do to an ailing patient. I was hooked!”
Today the work continues despite the practical challenges of running a small nonprofit. Fundraising for shipping, finding sewing volunteers, paying for administrative help and replacing basic office equipment are ongoing needs.
Sheri hopes to make and distribute 16,000 gifts over the next year and establish ongoing Happy Hats programs at 15 additional children’s hospitals across the United States.
For those who want to help, volunteers and donors are welcome. Happy Hats also invites people to visit its Torrance facility, where sewing and crafting volunteers help bring the organization’s whimsical gifts to life.
After decades of loss, Sheri devotes her energy to giving children moments of joy. Sometimes that joy arrives in the form of a brightly colored hat, chosen by a child who wants to share one with someone he loves.
