Chadwicks parish helps bring a little joy to kids in hospital care
By Dc. Tom Cuskey, editor
As any seasoned faith formation instructor will tell you, there is a big difference between talk and action in prepping a lesson. For example, one can explain the importance of the Corporal Works of Mercy in a world of need, or one can demonstrate how to care for others, especially those less fortunate, in real-time situations.
High on that list are children who are dealing with illness. It took such a child to recognize a need, and before long a ministry was born. The parish leadership team at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church in Chadwicks has now put the ministry into action and are hoping other parishes will join in the fun.
Joyce Bojdak is a 7th/8th grade catechist in the Oneida County parish and was looking for a Lenten project to engage her students in. Her adult daughter shared an idea she was exposed to through Girl Scouts, the Jared Box project.
Mary Ann Knapp (left) and Joyce Bojdak with some of the boxes prepared for the project.
“You just get a plastic shoe box from the dollar store, and then you fill it with little toys.” That’s the simple explanation Bojdak shared with the Sun. The backstory follows.
Jared was a hospital hero
Jared McMullen was a five-year-old student at Our Lady of Victory School near State College, PA when he was diagnosed with an incurable cancer. Throughout his battle, when on medical appointments, he would carry a backpack full of games and fun stuff to pass away the wait-time. Wise beyond his years, Jared noticed that other kids in the waiting room had nothing to play with. He started sharing his toys and spreading joy among the ailing little friends he made.
Jared passed away in 2000. A year later, his classmates at the school began the Jared Box project to honor his memory and his sharing, joyful nature. To date, according to thejaredbox.org website, over a million shoe-size boxes of toys have been shared at 528 hospitals. More than 100 of those came courtesy of St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church.
“It started out with our seventh and eighth grade class. They were amazed,” Bojdak shares. “ We started out with them, and the way we introduced it to the parish was so adorable.”
The kids presented a skit to demonstrate how the ministry works and things took off from there.
“Once the kids told their friends and family about our project, others wanted to join in, so it was decided to include the whole parish,” according to Mary Ann Knapp, the church’s catechetical leader. “So many families have stated that they really enjoyed putting the boxes together and had so much fun buying the toys, books, and items.” Knapp adds that the students made this special effort happen. “It’s special because our students in grades 7 and 8 were the ones who decided they wanted to do this. Each year, we talk about different projects, and when Joyce described this project, it immediately sparked their interest. The class unanimously voted for it.”
It’s a personal thing
Wynn Hospital in Utica has been the beneficiary of the Chadwicks parish efforts thus far with more than 100 boxes delivered to the facility.
We spread it out throughout the hospital,” Bojdak shares. “Wherever children are waiting for something … in the emergency rooms or if
they’re waiting to have an X-ray done or if they’re waiting for chemo.” The boxes are put together following the Jared Box Project guidelines. Games, books, coloring materials and more are included. It takes the worry and boredom off the minds of the young patients while they wait for treatment, and they carry the goodies home when they’re done. There is a personal ingredient in the mix, too.
”Our class had so much fun checking the boxes and making sure that each box contained a note,” Knapp explained. The note lets the youngsters know that the box is something personal, something special from a community that cares. “It was such a rewarding experience to see how excited our students were when showing everyone the contents of their boxes. It was sheer joy!”
7th and 8th grade formation students were all for getting involved with the Jared Box Project, and provided the goods and labor to make it happen.
Kathy Poupart is the Parish Life Director at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church, and while her focus is on the parish she leads and serves, she also sees the potential that the Jared Box Project can have in other areas of the diocese where ailing youngsters and their families have need and faith formation classes want to serve.
“If we can work as parishes, to create a culture of collaboration, there’s simple ways to do it,” Poupart adds. She says that projects that engage across parish boundaries and bring people together create solutions to challenges we all face. “Whether it’s through catechesis or projects like this … there’s changes happening within the parishes. People will feel more comfortable because they’re already going to see and recognize people as a PCA (pastoral care area) to work on these projects.”
If your parish would like to introduce the Jared Box Project, Poupart and her team are happy to share their best practices and learned experiences. Contact Kathy Poupart at kpoupart@syrdio.org or call the parish office of St. Patrick-St. Anthony at (315) 507-2528. You can also visit thejaredbox.org.
