Laidlaw students collect Band-Aids to help others
By Chuck Fieldman cfieldman@pioneerlocal.com February 17, 2012 2:32PM
Fifth-grader Amanda Young (from left), technology teacher Lisa Swanson, fifth-grader Catherine Kemnitz, fifth-grader Libby Pridmore and fifth-grader Olivia Duff coordinated a Laidlaw School project to collect Band-Aids. | Chuck Fieldman~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 24, 2012 8:17AM
It sure didn’t take much to convince members of the Student Council at Laidlaw Elementary School in Western Springs to participate in a schoolwide project to collect as many boxes of “fun” Band-Aids as possible.
Laidlaw students learned about the Band-Aid project from Lisa Swanson, the school’s technology teacher. Swanson is friends with Vickie Czapla, whose 6-year-old son, Jack, is going through treatment for acute lymphocytic leukemia.
Jack decided it was time to collect “fun” Band-Aids after one day undergoing an injection at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago for one of the chemotherapy drugs.
As usual, the injection was followed by a nurse putting on a Band-Aid. However, it wasn’t the kind of Band-Aid Jack had usually been given in the past; this one was plain, instead of having a picture of a popular cartoon character, which he normally received. The nurse explained they were out of “fun” Band-Aids, which typically are donated to the hospital.
Jack suggested to his mother that they have a sushi and lemonade stand to raise money for the purchase of more “fun” Band-Aids for other kids who have cancer.
His mom talked Jack out of having a sushi stand, but a Jewel-Osco in Mundelein allowed for them to set up a lemonade stand.
Before the fund-raiser was held in the summer of 2011, the Mundelein police and fire departments donated 300 boxes of “fun” Band-Aids when they heard about Jack’s plan.
More than 500 people turned out in support of Jack’s lemonade stand, including Children’s Memorial volunteers and other patient’s families. Jack’s family received donations of more than 700 boxes of Band-Aids and raised more than $1,900 in lemonade sales to purchase additional ones.
A video was created about Jack’s Band-Aid project, and Laidlaw students wasted no time getting involved after viewing the video.
“It was very inspirational seeing the video,” said fifth-grader Olivia Duff, a Student Council leader. “If a little kid like that can make a difference, I thought I could, too.”
A drive to collect boxes of “fun” Band-Aids was initiated Jan. 12 with the goal of getting 200 boxes. The Band-Aid collection finished Feb. 3, and 477 boxes were collected.
“It made me feel happy that everyone in the school wanted to help,” said Amanda Young, another fifth-grader who is a council leader. “I was surprised that so many people were interested in helping, but it was great.”
Student Council leader Catherine Kemnitz, also a fifth-grader, said it was wonderful to have an opportunity to do something to help other children.
“Kids are just stuck inside the hospital,” she said. “The one fun thing they get to do is pick out a fun Band-Aid, so it was really good that we could help. Our collection went really well and was exciting. With this project, we get to see that it’s going to make a difference.”
The collected boxes of Band-Aids will be given to Jack and his family, who will donate them for use by other children. Laidlaw students are hoping for an opportunity to meet Jack in the future.
“Jack is like everyone’s little brother,” Olivia said. “He’s very much an inspiration to us.”
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