Plainfield Student Helps Support St. Jude Hospital

Submitted by Plainfield School District 202

Photo 1: (From right) Plainfield East High School senior Grace Howe (from right), friend Emily Nichols, Grace’s sister, Lillyana, and cousin Amber shop for coloring books to take to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital earlier this summer. Grace organized the trip and raised money for donations of coloring books and blankets. (Photo submitted by the Howe family)

Photo 2: Grace Howe, 17, flanked by her parents Greg and Lana in early July in front of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The Plainfield East High School senior organized the trip and raised money for donations of coloring books and blankets. (Photo submitted by the Howe family.)

Grace Howe, 17, has been giving back to the community since she was seven years old.

It was then that her mom, Lana Howe asked Grace if she wanted to ask attendees of her birthday party to bring books to donate to a charity instead of birthday gifts for her.

Lana was surprised when Grace agreed, but she’s not surprised anymore.

“She just does it and that’s pretty cool,” Lana said of her oldest daughter’s giving nature.

In July, Grace, a senior at Plainfield East High School organized an annual trip to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. She raised money to buy coloring books, crayons, stickers and homemade blankets to distribute at the hospital.

Grace has raised more than $6,000 for St. Jude in three years.

Lisa Ballard, Grace’s 7th grade math teacher at John F. Kennedy Middle School, sparked her student’s interest in helping St. Jude through the hospital’s Math-A-Thon fundraiser.

Ballard wanted to see where the money the class raised went so she organized a trip to St. Jude five years ago. The trip has since become an annual event. Ballard said Grace also wanted to visit the hospital. So, when she turned 16, Howe joined Ballard.

Grace organized this year’s trip from fundraising to events at the hospital. She and her family spent a day at St. Jude giving out blankets, coloring books, helping families make cards and donating blood.

While Lana and Grace said it is tough to see the sick children, Grace knows St. Jude is the best place they can be to get better.

Grace wants to study nursing when she graduates and is considering Lewis University or MacMurray in Jacksonville.