Sixty patients at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia gazed outside last Thursday to see the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles scaling their windows.

The "heroes in a half-shell" were actually the big-hearted window washers of Jenkintown Building Services. They dressed up as these beloved characters with the goal of bringing positive engagement and childish wonder back to CHOP patients.

"Seeing these kids smile while going through what is potentially the hardest time in their life warms your heart. When we are able to have events like these, every staff member will try to stop by to grab a quick glimpse of the kids' smiling faces because that's what it's really all about. We are the lucky ones who get to be there to share in these moments with them," Caitlin Novelli, a child life specialist at the hospital, told PhillyVoice. "They had just sheer joy and big smiles on their faces."



In the past, Jenkintown Building Services window washers have dressed as characters from "Sesame Street" and "Spiderman."







"There are very few opportunities in the hospital for a kid to be a kid, to have five minutes to forget they are in the hospital and just have fun; this is one of those moments," said Novelli.





