CLARKS GREEN — An Our Lady of Peace School student is on mission to spread some joy among 85 children she has never met. And she is doing so with the use of 17 empty water bottles.
Molly Devine, eighth grade, conducted a campaign during the last week of September, Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, to raise money for the Jessie Rees Foundation. The funds will be used to send JoyJars, jars filled with age-appropriate gifts, to courageous pediatric cancer patients around the world.
Molly said the inspiration for her project came from her 10-year-old cousin William Collett, who lives in Florida. William was diagnosed with leukemia about three months ago and recently received his own JoyJar. Witnessing the encouragement that gift brought to her younger cousin, Molly wanted to help more children experience the same.
“I wanted to make people with cancer feel happy, for them to be able to be kids and be themselves,” she said. “So I wanted to raise money to send (JoyJars) to other kids with cancer.”
After conducting research on the foundation, Molly presented the idea to the school principal, Colleen Jumper, who then gave her permission to move forward with the project.
“I am so proud of Molly for doing all the research and bringing this to everyone’s attention,” said Jumper. “We’re all about helping others here.”
After gaining the principal’s permission, Molly got busy making posters to hang around the school; emptying, drying and labeling plastic water bottles in which to collect the money; and writing a few paragraphs about the campaign to present to her peers after a morning prayer assembly. Upon delivering the 17 empty bottles – one to each of the school’s homerooms – all she had left to do was wait, as her fellow students filled them with dimes over the next week.
According to Molly, each water bottle can hold enough dimes to fund five JoyJars. Her goal for the fundraiser is for the students in each homeroom to fill their jar to the top, providing funds for a total of 85 JoyJars.