EDISON — Students at J.P. Stevens High School are seeking to bring a little sunshine to ailing children.
Set for 1-4 p.m. May 2 at the Minnie B. Veal Community Center, Project Sunshine Day aims to raise money and supplies for pediatric patients through the Project Sunshine Foundation.
For a $5 donation, attendees will be able to engage in a variety of activities such as decorating cupcakes, performing science experiments to learn about the creation of electricity, a doughnut-eating competition, face painting, making lava lamps and creating cards for children with medical problems.
The chapter also accepts donations in the form of books, toys, games, DVDs and bandages.
A nonprofit organization based in Manhattan, Project Sunshine provides free educational, recreational and social programs to children and families dealing with medical challenges.
“We serve children facing all medical challenges. We are here for the whole family, serving patients, siblings, parents, caregivers and all family members,” said Tara Pokras, program coordinator at Project Sunshine. “Our volunteers bring joy, enrichment and play to children, restoring a crucial sense of normalcy to the medical environment.”
Julia Zou, a senior at J.P. Stevens, discovered Project Sunshine over the summer. She wanted to do something for children in hospitals, but she wasn’t old enough to volunteer — Project Sunshine’s guidelines state that volunteers must be 18 or older. After visiting the office in Manhattan, she decided she wanted to play a larger part in the project.
Project Sunshine offers programs for teenagers to contribute to the organization, and one of them is to start a Project Sunshine Club. Julia founded and became president of the J.P. Stevens chapter of Project Sunshine. She enlisted her English teacher, Candace Zupko, to be the advisor.
Last year, the chapter received more than $1,500 in donations, along with bandages, coloring books, crayons and markers.
Project Sunshine isn’t Julia’s first foray into volunteer work. She began volunteering at the Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park during her freshman year of high school. As a child, Julia wanted to know more about everything, she said, and as she grew up, she wanted to spark that same curiosity in others.
“Every day I spend in the center, I meet visitors inquiring about Edison’s life and inventions, and their world expands slightly as they learn about ‘old-fashioned texting’ — the telegraph — and watch the 100-yearold phonographs play records perfectly,” Julia said. “It is truly rewarding to be able help as the museum grows.”
The Minnie B. Veal Community Center is at 1070 Grove Ave., Edison.
For more information about Project Sunshine, call 212-354-8035.