A movement is spreading to help children suffering from illnesses, while honoring the spirit ofone brave child.
Jen Boyle, member of The Brightest Star in the Sky Espn Murphy Foundation's board of directors, is spearheading an effort to create craft kits for children and teens in hospitals dealing with serious illnesses. The objective is to provide the children's minds with an escape from the medications and treatments.
Once completed, the kits will be sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Janet Weis Children's Hospital at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, where Espn stayed while battling brain cancer. Espn died Nov. 20, 2011, at age 3 after a 20-month fight with the disease.
"My idea is to get people to make craft bags that would give children age-appropriate projects to make," Boyle said. "The bag, such as a gallon zip-lock bag, would include a picture of the completed project, directions and all necessary supplies to complete it."
She is looking to make craft kits for children of all ages, including teenagers. She also encourages bags for both boys and girls.
The idea for the project came from Jill Murphy, Espn's mother, to share one of her son's favorite activities.
"Espn loved doing crafts," Murphy said, adding that he would spend a lot of his time in the craft room at the Ronald McDonald House.
The project was discussed at a foundation board of director's meeting earlier this year. The Brightest Star in the Sky Espn Murphy Foundation is a nonprofit organization started by his parents, Jill and Doug. Its mission is to continue the influence Espn had on the community, while keeping his memory alive.
"The project bags really stuck in my head," Boyle said. She decided to take on the task and turned to social media to spread the word.
Boyle said she posted messages about the project on her Facebook page as well as on the page for Scribbles and Giggles, a preschool she co-owns in Minersville. She said within an hour she had about 15 replies asking how to get involved.
"I knew I could get a lot of families from my programs to help make this vision (of Jill's) come true," Boyle said.
Parents of children who attend Scribbles and Giggles have joined the effort, including Monica O'Brien.
O'Brien, Minersville, and her daughter, Eila, 4, completed kits at the preschool Wednesday. They were labeled "decorate a picture frame" and contained a soft frame with decorations such as letters, flowers and other shapes.
"It will be something simple enough for kids to do and they can do it independently," O'Brien said.
In addition to families around the county, the kits are also being assembled in local schools. Boyle said family development classes at Minersville Area High School and Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29, Mar Lin, are using the kits as a class project. She also said kindergarten and first-grade teachers from Minersville plan to get together to create some kits.
"I didn't expect it to get as big as it is," she said.
Some of the kits already completed contain crayons, markers and pre-packaged crafts. Some people interested in helping but not sure about what to get have donated gift cards from stores such as Michaels and Wal-Mart.
"It's a nice easy project for parents to do," Boyle said.
Murphy said they actually started donating last year to St. Jude and the Ronald McDonald House, but are hoping that the project can expand their mission.
"We are just hoping to do a lot more," she said.
Boyle said making the bags can be an activity that parents can work on with their children.
"It is something nice and easy for them to throw together," she said.
Boyle said if a large amount of kits are made they will deliver them to additional children's hospitals around the region.
Anyone interested in helping make craft kits can contact Boyle at jenboyle74@yahoo.com. She said she is willing to pick up any completed bags in the county or bags can be dropped off at Scribbles and Giggles during business hours: 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 8:45 to 11:45 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Anyone wanting more information about the project or to arrange dropoffs or pickups can also email scribblesgiggles@yahoo.com.
For more information on The Brightest Star in the Sky Espn Murphy Foundation, visit www.espnmurphyfoundation.org.