Paying it forward
By MATT JONES THE STANDARD-JOURNAL
LEWISBURG — After suffering a fall and a concussion, one Lewisburg boy ended up receiving treatment at the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital in Danville.
It was there that he also received an unexpected gift. He, his family and friends have since paid the gift forward.
“Once we got admitted, he was given a Jared Box,” said Paula Stump, speaking of her son Aiden, a fourth-grade student at Linntown Intermediate School. “It obviously made him very happy.”
A Jared Box refers to a plastic shoe box filled with toys, games, coloring books, art supplies and fun activities. The boxes are given to children in the hospital to help provide a fun diversion within an environment that can sometimes be intimidating or dreary.
“The project was started here in State College in memory of a little kindergartener named Jared McMullen,” said Cindy Kolarik, executive director of The Jared Box Project, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that was started in 2001.
Diagnosed with a brain stem tumor, McMullen was treated at Janet Weis Children’s Hospital when he was just 5 years old. It was there his “positive attitude and great sense of humor” started to transform the lives of other patients.
“He was known for taking a backpack filled with toys to doctor’s visits and sharing toys with other kids,” said Kolarik.
After McMullen’s passing in 2001, a small group got together to try and determine how best to honor Jared’s memory.
“We came up with the idea of these Jared Boxes,” said Kolarik. “This was supposed to be a one-time service project, but the hospital loved the boxes and asked if we could bring more, so that’s what we did.”
The first Jared Box project took place at the Our Lady of Victory School in State College, where Jared had been a student. Now, Jared Boxes are in more than 500 hospitals across all 50 states.
“Honestly, it just took off,” said Kolarik. “Just this past summer, we surpassed the 1-million box mark.”
One of those boxes ended up in the hands of Aiden Stump, who has since recovered and is back to being active and playing soccer.
However, the story of the Jared Box didn’t end there, as Aiden’s mom Paula decided to pay it forward.
“I run (the) Lewisburg AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization). We thought it would be nice to give back and make these boxes,” said Stump. “We did a drive and people donated completed bins or just toys, and then we made the bins and dropped them off last week. We dropped off 57 boxes to Janet Weis Children’s Hospital to replenish their supply.
“I just thought it was a good way to give back to the community.”
According to Kolarik, The Jared Box Project was designed to be a “give local project,” meaning that anyone from any location could start their own drives, just as Stump did in Lewisburg with the help of AYSO.
“You can make one box or 100 boxes. Anyone and everyone can get involved at every level,” said Kolarik. “It’s truly a testament to the kindness of others.”
Pay It Forward Standard Journal