SLCH Partners With Mount Saint Mary College Athletics For Community Service Project
Newburgh, NY – St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital, the Littman Cancer Center and the Mount Saint Mary College athletic department recently joined forces to complete a community service project to help the Newburgh chapter of Bonnie Boxes, an organization that provides care packages for patients undergoing cancer treatment.
"We have seen firsthand, the positive impact that Bonnie Boxes can have on patients during cancer treatment," said Daniel Maughan, SLCH Assistant Vice President of Emergency, Surgical, Trauma and Cancer Services. "The amount of time and effort that the Mount Saint Mary College student-athletes, coaches and staff put into this project was tremendous, and we can't thank them enough for their generosity."
Each of the Knights' 19 teams participated by obtaining items such as granola bars, ginger ale, chocolates, pens, lip balm and hand sanitizer. Once all the items were collected, volunteers spent parts of three days decorating and filling approximately 100 boxes which were then donated, along with the extra items, to Bonnie Boxes for distribution.
"I'd like to thank St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital for bringing this wonderful organization to our attention here at MSMC," said Danielle Lindner, the Knights' Senior Woman Administrator. "When we took this idea to the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, our student-athletes overwhelmingly agreed to take on this project. Thanks to the support of our generous campus community, we were able to create special Bonnie Boxes for cancer patients in need. I'm so proud of all of our student-athletes and our MSMC community who helped make this happen!"
MSMC was the first college to complete a donation drive for Bonnie Boxes, which has grown to 17 chapters in nine states. The organization was founded by Cindy Snow, a cancer survivor who underwent chemotherapy. It is named in memory of Bonnie Acker, a woman from Georgia whom Snow met through an online breast cancer group that helped inspire the idea.
"This just warmed my heart, and I want to thank each one of these kids," said Snow. "The impact the Bonnie Boxes have is phenomenal. When you're going through chemo or radiation treatment, it can be some of the longest days of your life. When the nurse brings you over a Bonnie Box, it changes your day, especially if you're alone. There are so many people who have to go through it alone, and I started making the boxes so they could be touched by another person letting them know they care about what they're going through."
The community service project was one of many initiatives St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital participated in throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month, including two local walks, educational seminars, clinical breast cancer screenings and fundraising activities.
About St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital
St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital (SLCH) is a not-for-profit community hospital with campuses in Newburgh and Cornwall, NY. The hospital is dedicated to serving the health care needs of the Hudson Valley and aspires to excellence in the delivery of compassionate and comprehensive health care services. SLCH offers comprehensive cardiac, stroke, cancer, orthopedic services and a full range of other clinical offerings.
Cutline: Student-athletes from Mount Saint Mary College collected items and put together nearly 100 care packages that were donated to the Bonnie Boxes Newburgh Chapter. Joining the students were BreLynn Nasypany, MSMC Head Women's Soccer Coach (2nd row, far left), Cindy Snow, founder of Bonnie Boxes (2nd row, third from left), Jennifer Lauria, Bonnie Boxes Newburgh Chapter (1st row, standing, second from right) and Loretta Koche, Bonnie Boxes volunteer (far right).
