Fellow students pitch in to help Caelin

While such activities and Catholic schools often go hand-in-hand, the children haven't been raising money for a field trip or needed school equipment. Rather, they've been pitching in to assist a fellow student.

Second-grader Caelin Mooney and her family will be traveling to Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore this summer so that she can have surgery to repair a birth defect. The donations from her fellow students will help pay for the operation.

Rare condition

Amy Mooney, Caelin's mother, found that there are two such specialists, one in Seattle and the other at Johns Hopkins. Although the family has health insurance, it won't pay all of the expenses. While Caelin's hospitalization will be covered, the Johns Hopkins doctors are out of the Mooney family's insurance plan, so they have to pay a sizable percentage of those fees.

Caelin is expected to be in the hospital for three to four weeks, and will have to remain in Baltimore for two months.

Helping out

Eighth-graders hosted a Valentine's Day fundraiser. People were able to purchase paper hearts for 50 cents. The hearts were hung around the school as decorations. The students called their project "Caring for Caelin." Its success led to a similar one for St. Patrick's Day, several bake sales and a movie night.

"A good deal of the fundraising has been the eighth graders," said Sister Kathleen Pritty, RSM, principal.

She is not surprised by the eighth-graders' desire to assist the Mooneys. For one thing, Caelin has two cousins in that class. For another, "we always say about this school that it's family-oriented," Sister Kathleen said. "The kids here are good to each other."

Spreading the word

The students have been role models to students at other schools as well. Word of their efforts spread to students at Christ the King School in Guilderland, who donated $1,100 for Caelin, and to St. Teresa of Avila School in Albany, where pupils gave $1,000.

In addition, adults of the St. Joseph/St. John's community are hosting their own fundraiser, a May 5 Irish Night at the parish center.

Tradition

In addition to the financial support, Mrs. Mooney knows that the community will also be praying for them during Caelin's surgery. "Our faith is a big part of this," she said. "We know that prayer can be powerful."

(For more information on the Irish Night on May 5, call 465-1151. Tickets are $25. The event includes food, beverages and live music.)

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