Boalsburg Cub Scouts make 25 Jared Boxes

BOALSBURG — Members of Boalsburg Cub Scout Pack 380 assembled Jared Boxes during the pack’s Dec. 12 meeting held at Mount Nittany Middle School.

Cubmaster Marvin Sanders led 19 Cubs through the process of filling the boxes, which were marked by age and gender for recipients from infants to teenagers. Each Scout filled his box with 10 items, including a hand-written greeting card.

Special guest for the evening was Cindy Kolarik, director of the Jared Box Program. Kolarik addressed the boys, reading several thank-you notes from grateful parents of local children who had received Jared Boxes in hospitals.

“The box made the scary situation a lot easier to handle,” read one of the notes.

“I brought a couple of those (notes) so you guys get the feel for how much your boxes are appreciated,” Kolarik said to the Cubs.

“Toys in a box maybe doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but when you’re in a hospital, and you’re nervous and scared and so are your parents, for someone to give you this out of the blue, thinking and caring about you, is the ultimate random act of kindness.”

Two of the Cub Scouts shared their experiences of being admitted to Mount Nittany Medical Center and receiving Jared Boxes.

“This community has done an outstanding job of keeping Mount Nittany supplied, and you should be very proud of that,” said Kolarik.

She thanked Pack 380 for their longtime participation in the program. “I think you guys should be very proud to be a part of keeping this project going,” she said.

“Never underestimate the little kind acts you do,” she told the Cubs. “They really do make a huge difference.”