9-year-old Lexi Blasky, the current Little Miss Leesburg, has taken her role seriously by dedicating her year to making and donating comforting blankets to children at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. To date, she had made more than 100, with a goal of hitting 150 by the end of the year.

“For Act of Kindness Day, I chose to make blankets for Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children because my cousin was born there, and they took very good care of her,” Lexi says. “It makes me feel good knowing that I have brought happiness to a little girl or boy that is going through a tough time.”

The inspiration came from a personal gift to her adopted grandmother.

“The first blanket I made was for my adopted Grandma, Ms. Peggy Sue,” she says. “I made it for her as a Valentine’s Day gift. It was white with lots of hearts.”

When choosing materials for her blankets, Lexi seeks out designs that will delight children, like bright colors and fun designs.

“My favorite prints are ones that have cows,” she says.

The joy of the project for Lexi is the delivery of the blankets to the hospital, where she gets to see the environment in which they are used.

“My favorite part is delivering them,” she says. “The atrium at the hospital is amazing. It has a castle, a beanstalk that reaches to the ceiling and Disney characters. And, if you look really close you can find Tinkerbell.”

Her efforts have not gone unnoticed, with gratitude coming directly from the hospital.

“I received a nice ‘Thank You’ from Arnold Palmer Child Life Department,” Lexi says. “A little girl from Lake County had received one of my blankets. Shortly afterwards, the family found out that her little brother was going to need surgery. So, I made a special one just for him and made sure it was delivered in time for him to take on the day of his surgery.”

So far, Lexi has delivered seventy-seven blankets, with thirty-four more ready to go. She aims to make and distribute 150 blankets by the end of this year.

This passion project has taught Lexi some important life lessons.

“Sometimes it is the little acts of kindness that can mean the most,” she says. “I have learned that kindness is contagious.”