Tuesday, August 10, 2010

JOIN HANDS DAY

We welcome May each year with the National Day of Service called JOIN HANDS DAY. We look forward to making a difference in the community and bringing young and old together.

This year we were able to do a special project called The Jared Box Project.



A little about the project:

The goal of the Jared Box Project is to lift the spirits of chronically ill children. The boxes symbolize the importance of play and are filled with well wishes, hope, and love.

A Jared Box is a shoebox size plastic storage box filled with small gifts, toys, cards, and games. Each box contains items selected for a specific age and gender. The boxes are delivered to hospitals and are given to chronically ill children. The Jared Boxes provide a special diversion for young patients as they receive chemotherapy and other medical treatments.

The Jared Box project was started in 2001 by the children at Our Lady of Victory School in State College, PA to honor their classmate and friend, Jared. He was a brave little boy who battled cancer with courage and faith that continues to inspire us all.

For more information on this wonderful project, click here.

So, Saturday May 1st, we gathered the children, some young women, and a few older leaders in our community and put together these boxes for children that might need a smile or too while they are in the hospital. We decorated the boxes, made cards, and filled them with fun surprises and love. Our children were not feeling well and did not come. However, we did gather some money to help put the boxes together.

I'll be posting pictures here.

On a side note, our service club leader was unable to make it to the project. She had to have surgery to remove a kidney stone that day. Because I have done this, I can totally sympathize with her. I'm sure that she wanted to be there and watch each box to be filled with love!

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