Taylor Ragano, Miss Virginia North America 2024 donates books to Dominion Hospital as part of The Boredom Relief Program

Taylor Ragano, who was crowned Ms. Virginia North America 2024 in January, understands firsthand the struggle of living with an invisible disability like a mental health condition. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a teenager, Taylor, now in her early thirties, experienced both inpatient and outpatient care as she worked to regain stability in her life. During this time, she observed that patients often have limited options to participate in engaging activities. Using her reign as Ms. Virginia North America as a springboard, she created The Boredom Relief Program, a platform designed to address the monotony experienced by patients in mental health facilities.

“Patients would sometimes cry out from shear boredom. Games and puzzles were missing key pieces, coloring book pages were already completed, and there was no access to television or cell phones,” Taylor recalls. As part of an overarching initiative to support the disabled community, she hopes that The Boredom Relief Program will help provide a diversion for mental health patients and bring them together as a community. Over the past several months, Taylor has collected more than 350 games, puzzles, and coloring books to donate to emergency rooms, rehabilitation programs, and psychiatric units in the Northern Virginia region.

Fittingly, October 10 is World Mental Health Day, intended to raise awareness of mental health issues and supportive initiatives around the world. Around this time, Taylor plans to donate more than 100 items to Dominion Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia. As a former resident there, she remembers the help she received to get her life back on track, and wanted to reciprocate in some way. Since Dominion Hospital is one of the only mental health facilities in the region that serves children as young as five, Taylor focused her collection efforts on obtaining age-appropriate materials for both adolescents and adults.

Pageantry and support for the disabled community run in Taylor’s family. Her mother, Marcella Ragano, is the current Ms. Senior Virginia USA, and is legally blind. Based on their own personal experiences, both mother and daughter are passionate about advocating for and raising awareness about the needs of the disabled community. Through games, coloring books, and other activity-based pursuits, The Boredom Relief Program aspires to provide relief and comfort to patients in some of the most challenging circumstances.

Taylor plans to have additional donation boxes throughout the community over the next few months, but monetary donations to The Boredom Relief Program may be made through a GoFundMe page that hopes to raise $20,000 for the cause. Taylor, who earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Virginia Tech School of Public International Affairs and holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from James Madison University, strives to permanently sustain The Boredom Relief Program as a not-for-profit foundation.

In her words, “My aim is to relieve stress and loneliness for patients and to provide them with comfort and distractions during their stay. Sometimes the simplest moments can be the most beneficial.”