February’s theme at Briarcliff Middle School was Kindness but as the Briarcliff Manor community has proven, it is not limited to the middle school. In the past month, local parents, Jennifer and Jim Mulligan, and their two sons, Joe and James, have been collecting toys to be distributed to the Children’s’ Activity Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, as well as to the guidance offices in all three schools in the district.
Together, the boys, in grades four and eight, have collected more than 300. On February 27 and 28, they distributed the toys to the three schools, according to Jen.
Joe has been battling a rare cancer called EHE since October 2019. The idea for the toy drive was spurred by an interaction Joe had with another young patient.
“When our son was at Sloan Kettering he spoke with a little girl going through treatment for Leukemia and he immediately asked how he could help her,” said Jim. Being a kid himself it’s no wonder his first thought was to bring toys and games to the Children’s’ Activity Center.
At school, Joe receives support from the staff, such as his teacher and the school psychologist Dr. Sarah Rubin.
“Joe’s interactions at both the hospital and the school have inspired the local toy drive here at the Briarcliff Manor School District. We can’t think of a better way to end Kindness Month than with an incredible act of kindness such as this,” said Superintendent James Kaishian.
