Students contribute to pediatric hospice lending library
By Mary Shane Contributing Writer
Westborough - When teachers at Mill Pond School were asked to help with the Children for Children (CFC) pediatric hospice project, fourth-grade teacher Karen Popsuj immediately loved the idea.

Mill Pond School's Karen Popsuj and her fourth-grade class PHOTO/MARY SHANE

CFC is the brainchild of Kathy Drew, director of Hospice Volunteers at UMass Memorial Hospital, and Sue Bardsley, K-6 reading curriculum specialist at Mill Pond School. Drew and Bardsley wanted to create a lending library for volunteers who visit home-bound children with life-limiting illnesses.

Each elementary classroom was challenged to choose, purchase and donate a book as well as supply art materials and samples of reading response activities, according to Popsuj and Bardsley. The goal was to get the students involved by writing to the children, making book recommendations, and sorting and bagging the books to be sent.

"I read the book ['The Wild Boy'] to my class," Popsuj said. "We talked about it [and] they [each] made a 3-D picture of 'I'm wild when …' and 'I'm civilized when …'"

Popsuj's students enjoyed the project.

"I like it because it's fun to read a book," student Jared Wong said, "and then do a special project about it and then see your work when you're all done."

"I think it's nice because we can help the kids and give them the chance to do things that kids who aren't sick get to do," student Sarah Bracey said.

Popsuj saw good reasons to involve her students in the project.

"I wanted to involve the students. They're naturally so giving [and] very enthusiastic about helping other kids," Popsuj said. "[Homebound kids] are too sick to go to school. [My students] wanted to help. This community just gives and gives. I feel very blessed to be in a community where parents enforce giving with their children. It just melts my heart."

Popsuj also asked each student to contribute $1 towards the purchase of "The Wild Boy."

"When we get enough money, we'll buy the book," she said. "We want to buy the hardcover book because it will last longer."

Samples of her students' pictures will accompany the book as well as materials for the home-bound child to make a 3-D picture.

"Teachers were so willing and generous to share and the children were so excited to share," Bardsley said. "When Mill Pond heard about it, [the] Student Council took it on as their service project. They decorated jars labeled Change for Children to collect change to purchase more books."

The local Civic Club helped, too.

"I really must thank the Civic Club because they're the ones who made this viable," Bardsley said. "[They] gave us $700 to buy books. They believe in this so much. I'm so moved by everyone's kindness. The world is full of human beings reaching out to one another … I'm proud of Westborough for stepping up and doing their part."

For more information or to donate funds or materials for the Children to Children project, call or send e-mail to Sue Bardsley at Mill Pond School, 508-836-7780 or bardsles@westborough.k12. ma.us.