Over 200 South Jersey residents will volunteer their time on MLK Day to benefit hospitalized children battling cancer.
On Monday, Jan. 15, local South Jersey area residents and high school students will gather at the Voorhees Town Center Mall for MLK Day of Service and volunteer their time making Teen Kits and Bandana Pillows for hospitalized children battling cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. This community service event is organized by the Alicia Rose Victorious Foundation. It is the ARVF’s main event to raise awareness for National Teen Cancer Awareness Week.
In 2013, ARVF spearheaded the initiative to get the U.S. Senate to unanimously pass a resolution designating the third week in January as Teen Cancer Awareness Week (TCAW) to promote awareness of the unique medical and social needs of teens with cancer. Since then, ARVF has celebrated TCAW by hosting community service projects and events to spread awareness for this under-served population.
Volunteers will set-up and assemble Teen Kits and Bandana Pillows to be shipped to hospitalized children nationwide, including some local hospitals such as Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Cooper Children’s, Nemours Alfred I. DuPont, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, and Virtua. There will also be a Teen Kit Drive available for volunteers to collect new and unwrapped boy and girls socks, 1oz. Tic-Tacs or lip-balm for the Teen Kits.
“With the recognition of Teen Cancer Awareness Week, the state of New Jersey, specifically South Jersey, has created a precedence in identifying the unique needs that hospitalized teens experience,” said Gisele DiNatale, Co-Founder and Executive Director of ARVF. “The Alicia Rose Victorious Foundation is proud to have spearheaded this initiative so that the voice and concerns of these courageous teens can be now heard.”
ARVF was established in honor of Alicia Rose DiNatale of Voorhees Township, who died in October 2002 after a 13-month battle with cancer at the age of 17.
If you are interested in volunteering on MLK Day of Service, please visit their website www.victoriousfoundation.org.
There will also be a Teen Kit Drive available for volunteers to collect new and unwrapped boy and girls socks, 1oz. Tic-Tacs, or markers for the Teen Kits, and a Dine & Donate Night on Wednesday, Jan. 17 starting at 5 p.m. at all New Jersey P.J. Whelihan’s locations.
