Evans Elementary School Principal Nick DiBlasi encourages his students to have a heart all year round, but especially around Valentine’s Day and during the school’s annual “Have A Heart” drive.
For the sixteenth consecutive year, the staff, students, and families of Evans school collected boxes upon boxes of essential household items, as well as gifts, for seriously ill children in Southern New Jersey.
This year, a group from Evans delivered about 50 boxes of items to the Ronald McDonald House in Camden and the Pediatric Unit of Virtua in Voorhees. According to DiBlasi, it is the biggest collection he has seen since he became principal at Evans.
The best part about the collection, according to DiBlasi, is the ability for some of his students to see the impact first-hand. After a three-week long collection period, a group of 18 fourth- and fifth-graders that had made donations were randomly chosen to deliver the supplies, along with DiBlasi, staff members, and parents and guardians of students, on Wednesday, Feb.17.
“We collected a bunch of stuff for sick kids and then took it to them,” said Evans Elementary School fourth-grader Lauren Owings. “We met the nurses at Virtua, and my favorite part was visiting the Ronald McDonald House, because we got to see the rooms and the kids staying there. It felt good to see the kids and understand what was going on with them.”
The students and staff at Evans collected household items such as toilet paper, shampoo, soap, and paper towels for use in the kitchen and bedrooms at the Ronald McDonald House, as many of the families that stay there do not have the time to purchase the items while caring for their sick child.
“We try to make their stay as enjoyable as possible. We hand deliver the items each year and the students who attend the trip are able to tour the facility after the delivery,” DiBlasi said. “It’s a long-standing tradition.”
After visiting the Ronald McDonald House, the bus went to Virtua, where the students delivered toys, crafts, puzzles, movies, books, and other gifts. The items will be placed in the Virtua Family Room to be used by patients and their families, and in Treasure Boxes for children who show bravery when faced with a surgery.
“We saw a lot of families from around the world. It’s sad so many people get sick, and they need a place to go,” said Ethan Verrone, a fifth-grader. “It’s nice to feel like you’re helping people.”
The Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey provides a home-away-from-home to families of seriously ill and traumatically injured children who are being treated at nearby hospitals. To learn more, visit www.ronaldhouse-snj.org.
Virtua offers a wide range of pediatric services that enhances its programs. Visit www.virtua.org to learn more.
