News at St. Catherine's

Times-Dispatch: Students at St. Catherine's meet beneficiary of pediatric giving project

Students partner with World Pediatric Project to assist boy from St. Lucia.
Posted: Friday, February 6, 2015 11:30 pm

By TED STRONG
Richmond Times-Dispatch

     For Hollison St. Catherine, a 16-month-old boy from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, help came in the form of a necklace.
     Hollison has a congenital heart defect: a hole in his heart that requires surgery.
     Now, he’s in America, preparing for his surgery, thanks to the efforts of some middle school girls from St. Catherine’s School who are selling necklaces as a
fundraiser. That he and the school share a name was coincidence, but one that St. Catherine’s officials were happy to embrace.
     The institution’s middle school students have been raising money to sponsor his trip to the United States for surgery. Efforts have included dances and bluejeans days at school, but the biggest mover of the financial needle are the necklaces the girls are selling. The simple jewelry consists of a dove charm on a suede band. They cost a little more than a dollar to make, sell for $8 and are going like hotcakes, said Gina Gordon, dean of the middle school.
     “Everyone in the middle school and lower school has been buying these necklaces,” said Jonesy Wilbanks, 13, who cooked up the plan with eight-grade cohorts Belle O’Keefe, 13, and Arlo Gray, 14.
     So far, the combined efforts have brought in about $4,000, with $1,000 more to go. The lower school, St. Catherine’s elementary school, has even gotten in on the action with efforts that include collecting change in buckets.
     “It’s really bringing (our) community together to raise money for him,” Arlo said.
On Friday, Hollison came by to meet, in his toddler’s way, his benefactors at the school in Richmond’s West End.
     “It was scary at first,” said Suzan Charles, Hollison’s mother, referring to the trip to the U.S. “But once we were here and getting support and encouragement, the load has been much lighter.”
     Jonesy said the visit really drove home the good the donations will do.
     “(You) know a little boy is going to have a surgery,” she said.
     That surgery, which will patch a hole in Hollison’s heart, was facilitated by the World Pediatric Project, which is based in Richmond.
     “Now we’re bringing the youth into it, and we know what that means for the future,” said CEO Susan Rickman.
     The group sends teams to the developing world that perform about 500 surgeries each year. An additional 125 or so cases, too complicated for work abroad, are brought to the U.S., including about 45 brought to Richmond, Rickman said.
     Like Hollison.
     “From there on, he’ll have a completely normal, healthy life,” Rickman added.

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Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.