Kids admitted to St. Agnes Hospital are the latest to get a boost of courage thanks to the Courage Unlimited Corp.

The corporation, headed by Glyndon resident John Ramming, is a nonprofit that makes Courage Lions available for hospitals to give to children.

The stuffed lion, “Duffy,” comes in two sizes and is accompanied by a book “Courage Pockets” and a CD. The book is the story of a young lion who faces the challenge of recovering from an injury. The CD is a reading of the story with accompanying music.

“In reading about Duffy, the children have the opportunity to identify and communicate about their own feelings and situation,” the Courage Lion Web site explains.

Ramming, a retired military man and former CEO, came up with the idea in 2005 after two fellow members of the Knights of Columbus had children become ill and die.

“We saw how the families suffered, and a bunch of us got together… and got a hold of the chaplain at Hopkins to see if there was something we could do,” Ramming said.

Over the next 18 months, Ramming worked with the Child Live Team at Johns Hopkins Hospital to create Duffy. Since then the lion has been handed out to 18,000 children in 45 hospitals from Connecticut to North Carolina.

Duffy’s arms are longer than a typical stuffed lion so they can be used in triage for a child to point to a body part that might hurt and so he can hang on cribs and IV stands. Duffy also has a pocket where children can tuck away their worries to help give them courage, Ramming explained.

In the time the lions have been at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, pediatric nurse Heather Murphy has been dubbed “The Courage Lion Lady.”

“I give them out to a lot of kids. Probably more than most nurses,” she said. “When I go in a room and see the kids, and I know what’s going on, my first thought is ‘How can I make this better?’”

And when they get the lion, most of the kids, many of whom haven’t smiled since they arrived, get the biggest smile on their face, Murphy said.

Last spring Courage Unlimited was named the best community program in Maryland by the Knights of Columbus and went on to win the international award for the best community program.

“It’s just been phenomenal,” Ramming said. “This is a joy in life everyone should experience.”