11-Year-Old Collects “Books & Buddies” for Area Children in Need

(Abingdon, MD) Like a lot of 11-year-olds, Mario Nandalal is not sure what he’ll be when he grows up. He’s thinking about becoming an electrical engineer, or maybe an audio engineer, or an electrical engineer who DJs on the side for friends. But one thing is certain: the Harford Day School sixth grader knows what he’ll always do. That’s community service.

He pledged this commitment publicly though in November when he received a Maryland Chapter of the Association for Fundraising Professionals’ Youth Award at a luncheon at the Marriott Inner Harbor. And, he’s backing up his words with actions: he’s leading, for the second year, the We Cancerve Movement’s annual “Books & Buddies” project, which pairs brand new books with stuffed animals that match the main character of each book. The collection will run from February 2 through February 22, 2018.

“Community service is important to me because I like helping others, especially kids. During community service projects, I can help others and have a lot of fun too,” said Nandalal, who was appointed to the all-youth board of advisors of We Cancerve in 2016. “It is kind of like I am helping to make the world a better place. That is cool!”

We Cancerve started “Books & Buddies” in 2012 when they donated the literacy play sets to Sinai Hospital’s pediatric hematology and oncology clinic in Baltimore to children undergoing chemotherapy, in particular, as a welcomed distraction to long hours of treatment. To date, these sets have been donated to the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center children’s wing and to the pediatric emergency room since 2013. In 2017, Nandalal and his classmates at Harford Day School expanded the initiative to bring greater literacy to homeless children at area shelters and transitional housing programs.

Two drop-off locations have been arranged to accept donations of “Books & Buddies”: Weichert-Diana Realty, Inc. located at 414 S. Main Street, Bel Air, MD 21014 or at Harford Day School, located at 715 Moores Mill Road, Bel Air, MD 21014.

Deliveries will be made to area hospitalized and homeless children by March 2, which is Dr. Seuss’ birthday.

“I think community service will always be part of my life. I have been helping with projects since I was a baby,” said Nandalal, who has been involved in community service since age 2, when his family took him to support projects at the local library.

“I really like helping with community service projects because I have fun with We Cancerve projects, the Sharing Table and making and delivering holiday meals. Mrs. Scarborough volunteered for 50 years and they gave her the award for being Harford's Most Beautiful Person 2017. I want to volunteer even longer than that. I think I will help forever!” he said.

We Cancerve was established in 2012 to bring swift solutions to sick, homeless and foster children because happiness shouldn’t have to wait. Run by an all-youth board of advisors, who are under age 18, We Cancerve operates a full-service clothing boutique at a Bel Air group home for teen girls in foster care and offers a four-week summer enrichment day camp for children at two Harford County transitional housing programs for homeless families. We Cancerve also created a pediatric patient assistance fund at Sinai to help offset costs associated with medical care for sick children, particularly at the pediatric hematology and oncology clinic. To date, We Cancerve has helped more than 4,000 homeless, sick and foster children, and has donated more than $10,000 in cash grants and $30,000 in in-kind donations.

For more information about We Cancerve, email peoplewhocare@wecancerve.org.

ABOUT THE PHOTOS:

Eleven-year-old Mario Nandalal; 2018 Books & Buddies Flyer; 2013 We Cancerve board members deliver Books & Buddies Jack, a pediatric cancer patient at Sinai Hospital; 2017 Harford Day School 5th Graders who joined Mario Nandalal in collecting Books & Buddies; Mario and Harford Day School Classmate Rohan deliver several Books & Buddies sets to the Children's' Hospital at Sinai in 2017.