An emergency room visit or an extended hospital stay can cause stress and anxiety for anyone.
But for kids who have no idea what’s wrong with them, going to the hospital can be downright scary.
To help them deal with such situations, hospital staff know that distraction can sometimes be the best medicine.
To keep children entertained while they wait or receive treatment, 26 Jared Boxes were donated to AHN Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison by members of the Delta Kappa Gamma, Alpha Upsilon Chapter Honor Society, or retired educators.
Each of the shoebox-sized plastic containers is filled with a variety of items, such as puzzles, word searches, crayons and coloring books, small toys, and other fun items aimed at children of different ages.
The idea came about in 2000 after the death of Jared McMullen, a Center County boy who was diagnosed with an incurable brainstem tumor at age 5.
Jared carried a backpack full of toys and games to all his medical appointments and wondered why other kids weren’t doing the same.
When he died a year later, Jared’s classmates decided to honor his memory by making boxes filled with toys for children being treated at Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital in Danville.
Since its debut, the Jared Box Project has distributed 999,785 boxes to children in 473 hospitals in all 50 states.
Retired Highlands teachers Barbara Summers and Tricia Cavanaugh emptied an SUV full of Jared Boxes into the emergency room Thursday afternoon.
“When we heard about the Jared Box Project, we thought it was a great idea, so we decided to do it this year for our chapter’s President’s Project,” said Simmons, who is president of the local Delta Kappa Gamma chapter. .
“We picked preschool and elementary school kids and went shopping to buy the things needed to fill the boxes,” she said.
Gina Cecchi, assistant nurse manager of AVH’s emergency department, said the Jared Boxes are a helpful tool.
“It’s nice to be able to give the kids something to occupy them and divert their attention,” she said. “It’s something that gives them a little comfort and a way for them to think about something else.”
ER nurse Tony Tabita said Thursday’s donation came just in time.
“It seems that just when we run out of boxes, someone will come along and give us some more,” he said. “We were racking our brains trying to figure out what we could buy ourselves for the kids to use. So this is just great. We are super grateful that they took the time to do this for us.”
Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tony via email at tlarussa@triblive.com or via Twitter .
0 Comments