Bags of Hope

Hello. My name is Rachael Stieg, and I am a Junior at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. I am a pre-medical student hoping to one day become a pediatric oncologist. Childhood cancer has personally affected my life- my junior year of high school my niece Evelyn was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Thankfully, Evelyn is now a healthy, happy six year old preparing for first grade in the fall. Evelyn’s road to recovery was by no means an easy one. I spent the first three weeks of her intense treatment with her in The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Over the course of the next several months, Evelyn was hospitalized almost half a dozen times. My family also made countless late night trips to the Emergency Room, as it was required that Evelyn was evaluated by an oncologist whenever she ran a fever. As we made our voyage from our South Jersey home to CHOP in the middle of the night, we always made sure to pack activities. The Emergency Room is a scary place for toddlers, and it is important to keep them preoccupied. I have certainly learned over the years what is important to always keep on hand for a sick child, and I would like to pass this gift along.
Myself and my classmate, Max Hirsch, are attempting to start a self-run non-profit service project in which we create activity book bags for children who are terminally or chronically ill and require frequent trips to the hospital. Max and I are both involved in Circle K International, the world’s largest collegiate student run community service organization. Giving back is an important aspect of our lives, and this is a cause that is close to home for myself.
Since Evelyn’s diagnosis, I have made it a mission to do all that I can to further cancer research and ease the lives of those currently undergoing treatment. I am an advocate for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and I currently run Relay for Life at Stockton College. It would bring me tremendous joy to make this service project happen and bring happiness to the lives of sick and hospitalized children. All funds raised will go directly to purchasing supplies for this project.Max and I will be hand-delivering these bags to The Ronald McDonald House in Camden, NJ and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, PA. Each bag will contain a hand written note by the person who prepared it providing some encouragement to the beautiful child that receives it.
We would like to ask for your help with our cause, if you are able. Thank you for your support!