Jared Box Project Partners with Penn Highlands State College

This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette .

STATE COLLEGE — The Jared Box Project , a nonprofit organization which makes boxes filled with toys and activities for hospitalized children, recently announced that it would be providing Jared Boxes to the new Penn Highlands State College hospital .

Though the Jared Box Project now sends boxes to all 50 states, the organization started in State College, at Our Lady of Victory Catholic School.

When Jared McMullen was diagnosed in 1999 with an incurable brainstem tumor and died in November 2000, his classmates at OLV joined together to fill boxes with toys in his honor for patients at Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital. Since then, the Jared Box Project has continued to grow and sends boxes to hospitals across the country, now including the State College Penn Highlands hospital.

“The Jared Boxes will be used to brighten the day of our young patients, providing them with a much-needed distraction and a sense of comfort during their hospital stay,” Danyell Bundy, director of operations and major gifts for Penn Highlands Healthcare, said in a statement. “We have a long-standing partnership with The Jared Box Project, and it has been incredibly rewarding to see the positive impact these boxes have had on our patients. This collaboration is a testament to our commitment to providing comprehensive care that addresses both the physical and emotional needs of our children.”

Arize Federal Credit Union provided 36 boxes to the new hospital. Mary Potter, marketing specialist at AFCU, noted in a statement how donating the boxes was a positive experience.

“It’s wonderful to be part of a project that brings so much joy to children who are going through tough times,” Potter said. “We were thrilled to contribute to the opening of the new hospital in such a meaningful way. Knowing that our efforts will bring smiles to young faces makes it all worthwhile.”

Both the Jared Box Project and Penn Highlands Healthcare expressed their gratitude for the contributions of AFCU.

“This is an exciting day, one that we have been planning for quite a while,” Cindy Kolarik, executive director of the Jared Box Project, shared in a statement. “The Jared Box Project is well established at other Penn Highlands locations, and we are excited to now provide Jared Boxes for the new hospital in State College.”

For more information on how to get involved in the Jared Box Project, visit thejaredbox.org .

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