A creative and touching program – that features a stuffed monkey – is helping second grader Audrey Lopez not lose touch with her classmates while she's away in the hospital being treated for cancer.
When Audrey is not in class, a monkey named Charlie sits in her seat in the classroom. Charlie also has a backpack, which the kids in class fill with encouraging notes to Audrey, letting her know that she’s still an important member of their class.
The program that makes this all happen is called Monkey in My Chair, which was put together to ease the uncertainty and fear of students, as well as to teach them kindness and responsibility. The students are in charge of taking care of Charlie all day long – and end up keeping Audrey in their hearts.
Thanks to Charlie the monkey, Audrey's seat is safe. And when Audrey returns to school, she'll be welcomed back, and Charlie can be on his way, helping out other kids.