Teen Collects Fun Bandages for Valerie Fund

When it was time for Sara Stoma of Caldwell to decide on her mitzvah project, she recalled something that was special to her as a child going through treatment for leukemia—getting to pick a fun Band-Aid.

Stoma, a seventh grader at , recently completed a month-long collection of bandages for The Valerie Fund at . The only requirement was that they have fun designs to help bring a smile to the faces of young patients.

Completing a mitzvah project is required of all 13-year-olds of Jewish faith who are preparing for their Bar Mitzvahs or Bat Mitzvahs, which are coming-of-age rituals.

“This mitzvah project is special to me because when I was 4-years-old I was diagnosed with leukemia. I went through chemotherapy at the Valerie Fund,” the teen wrote in a letter asking for donations. “Whenever I needed a Band-Aid, my favorite part was getting to pick which Band-Aid I want to put on. So I want all the kids who go through any type of treatment to be able to pick which Band-Aid they put on.”

With the help of her classmates, Stoma collected 650 boxes of adhesive bandages and was able to purchase an additional 250 boxes with monetary donations.

“I cannot believe how successful this project was,” she stated in a thank you note to donors. “The support everyone gave me was so nice.”

With eight locations in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, The Valerie Fund is a non-profit that provides support for children undergoing treatment of cancer and blood disorders.