Pocono Mountain East High School's School to Work Program would like to share their experiences in participating in the Jared Box Project.  Last school year, this special needs classroom, mobilized our entire school district to contribute 757 Jared Boxes to Geisinger Children's Hospitals.  The "Extra Inning Club," a community outreach club comprised of the Kings College men's baseball team, assisted with the project in distributing the Jared Boxes and visiting with the hospitalized children. 

We challenge you to "pay it forward" and participate in the Jared Box Project in your own community.  The life skills students will introduce and present the steps of the project, their teachers discuss the connections made with our school district and a local participating hospital, and the baseball team will share their experiences.  We'll wrap up with Q & A and possibly make plans for a follow-up conference in which each participating site would share the results of their project.

Video Conference Agenda:

• Introduction to the video conference
• Jared Box Intro by Cindy Kolarik, Jared Box Project Coordinator
• School to Work - Students present from Pocono Mountain East High School
• School to Work - Teachers present from Pocono Mountain East High School
• Extra Inning Club presents from King’s College
• Round Robin Question and Answer
• Wrap-Up

Pre Videoconference Activities:

• Visit www.thejaredbox.com and find a hospital in your community to partner with.
• Watch the Pocono Mountain East High School’s Jared Box video.

Post Conference Activities:

• Get involved in the Jared Box Project!  Start your own Jared Box Project in your community!
• Plan a follow-up video conference with the participating schools to share your experiences in creating Jared Boxes in your community.

About The Jared Box Project
The goal of the Jared Box Project is to lift the spirits of chronically ill children. The boxes symbolize the importance of play and are filled with well wishes, hope, and love.

A Jared Box is a shoebox size plastic storage box filled with small gifts, toys, cards, and games. Each box contains items selected for a specific age and gender. The boxes are delivered to hospitals and are given to chronically ill children. The Jared Boxes provide a special diversion for young patients as they receive chemotherapy and other medical treatments.

The Jared Box project was started in 2001 by the children at Our Lady of Victory School in State College, PA to honor their classmate and friend, Jared. He was a brave little boy who battled cancer with courage and faith that continues to inspire us all.