Centre Learning Community Charter School students received a lesson in goodwill when they participated in the Jared Box Project.
The Jared Box Project, a nonprofit organization located in Port Matilda, was founded after a 5-year-old boy named Jared lost his battle with cancer in 2000.
He always brought a backpack filled with toys and coloring books to appointments at the doctor’s office and hospital visits. Jared would often ask his parents why the other kids didn’t have toys.
After he died an organization was set up to bring smiles to other chronically ill children. Clear plastic shoe boxes are filled with age appropriate toys, books, stickers and cards, and are delivered to local hospitals. More than 100,000 Jared Boxes have been made and delivered in 45 states since 2001.
The organization is well known to CLC school staff and students. Some of them have family members who’ve receive Jared boxes in the past. When a parent told CLC administrative assistant Melissa Stitzer that Mount Nittany Medical Center was out of Jared Boxes and asked if the school could help, Stitzer jumped into action by organizing an after school project.
The school sent students home with letters asking for donations of suggested items for different age groups.
“We let the parents and students decide on the age group they wanted to support,” says Stitzer.
The response was overwhelming. After Stitzer and the students divided up the items, there were enough for 20 complete Jared Boxes. The entire school participated in the donation drive and many students helped fill the boxes.
“I was happy to do it, and I had fun because I knew I’d be making kids happy,” says fifth-grader Amelia Hegstrom.
“My brother got a Jared Box once. He was excited to get one when he was sick. I felt good making the boxes because they are a good cause and I don’t want kids in the hospital to be bored,” says another fifth-grader, Kendall McCarty.
“We received Playdoh, books, MadLibs, Matchbox cars, craft kits, puzzles, coloring books and crayons, and for teen girls, lip-gloss and nail polish. We also had fleece blankets, robots and Legos that would not fit into the boxes,” Stitzer says.
Stitzer and three students, sixth-grader Anna Farris, fifth-grader Emily Hadfield and sixth-grader Evie Baxter, delivered the Jared Boxes to Mount Nittany Medical Center.
“It felt good to know I was doing it for children who are sick and need to be cheered up. I would like to do it again. It feels good to give back to the community,” says Farris.
“All of the students enjoyed working on the project, and many have worked on it before with Scouts or church. Some students have siblings that were on the receiving end, too. This was a wonderful opportunity for CLC to give back to the community,” Stitzer says.
To make a donation to the the Jared Box Project, visit www.thejaredbox.com.
