GCA builds care packages for Riley cancer patients

Students at Greenwood Christian Academy wrote messages such as “stay strong,” and “never forget how amazing you are” to go along with the items they had collected for children cancer patients.

The chemo care packets, which included activity books, colored pencils, crayons, stickers, foam puzzles, lotion and toothpaste, are being sent to about 200 children at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health.

The effort is the first community outreach project for the academy’s “Bible Buddies” program, which pairs children from older grades with those from younger grades for different activities in order to strengthen the school’s community of students.

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The projects have involved academic and holiday-based group activities, but for February, middle and high school Bible teacher and club coordinator Cindy Smith wanted to look beyond the school and focus on assisting others.

The initial goal was to package 100 kits.

“I was looking for a service project,” Smith said. “My niece, Emily Marlin, wife of boys basketball coach Jonny Marlin, is a pediatric oncology nurse at Riley and asked if there was something we could do to help patients with the side effects of chemo and we got permission to do that.”

Some supplies were donated for the packets, while the school raised money for other supplies through a “dress down” day, during which students could take a break from the dress code and dress casually if they donated $1.

The school raised $450.

“I like that we could give people in need at Riley Hospital stuff they can do so they can have something to do besides sitting and waiting for treatment,” second grader Cale Sager said.

Second grader Nolan Sexton said he would be interested in outreach efforts in the future, and said he enjoyed giving away toothpaste, toothbrushes and orange pencil sharpeners.

Although this is the first charity effort by the Bible Buddies program, it is not the first time the school has practiced community outreach. Earlier during the school year, elementary students wrote cards and prayed for a boy from Myanmar who came to the U.S. and had eye surgery, second grade teacher Carlye Overmyer said. Efforts such as these are key for students to learn compassion and empathy, she said.

“(It’s important) to show our students there are other kids in need and they can do something about it,” Overmyer said. “They can love another child, help another child.”