Each year, the Bishop Carroll Catholic High School Senior AP Politics Class is tasked with creating a project that benefits a community-based organization. This year, the class chose The Jared Box Project as the beneficiary, which has special ties to Bishop Carroll.
The Jared Box Project was founded at Our Lady of Victory Catholic School in State College to honor their classmate and friend, Jared McMullen, who courageously lost his battle with cancer. The boxes have toys, games, and activities, and are delivered to various hospitals for the children receiving care.
The students raised money through a gift card giveaway, purchased items, and invited all students to contribute other items to help assemble the boxes. All totaled, they created 40 complete boxes, had several boxes of extra supplies, and made an additional donation of $544 towards the project.
Student Paige Landis commented, “We wanted to do something that would help children in need. We had heard of this project and wanted to do our part in helping them have some comfort while they were being treated in the hospital.”
Their teacher, Jonathan Nagy, is proud of the work the students accomplished. He commented, “The determination and work of this small class of students to raise so much money and create so many boxes for the children is amazing. I am inspired by their commitment to do the project, and even happier that it will benefit local children.”
Jared’s mother, Ruth (Emerick) McMullen is a 1980 Bishop Carroll graduate, and continues to carry on the project with her family at her side. Last year, The Jared Box Project celebrated their 1,000,000th box. Ruth was very excited that her high school made a donation towards the project. She stated that these boxes will be given to UPMC Altoona. For more information on The Jared Box Project, please visit their website at www.thejaredbox.org.
[Photo (left to right): Ruth (Emerick) McMullen (BC 1980), Isabella Thompson, Paige Landis, Jude Kline, BC Dean of Students Jonathan Nagy. Absent from photo: Viktor Barta, Grant Casses, Diego Ruiz.]
