Pillow Pets

This weekend I had the privilege of serving in an outreach activity at Northview that was focused on the Super Baskets of Hope program.  7000 baskets are being prepared for hospitalized children in each of the NFL's 32 cities.  Our part in this was bagging and tagging 7000 Pillow Pets to go in each basket. It was a very cool experience to write notes to these children and package them with these Pillow Pets, knowing that a sick child will receive it as a form of comfort and encouragement.

The most amazing part of the experience for me was the connection to Jake McConohay, a little boy from our church who passed away last year after his own battle with cancer.  Jake's aunt gave him a Pillow Pet that became a source of comfort during his treatment and thinking bigger than himself he thought other sick kids would benefit from having their own Pillow Pet.  Jake had a vision of giving children in the hospital their own Pillow Pet and he worked toward that vision and goal as a 7/8 yr old.  Months after his passing he continues to make an impact in children's lives through this effort.  It was shared with us this weekend that over 500,000 Pillow Pets have been donated and distributed, as part of Jake's goal, on a global level!

My heart breaks for his parents for their loss of a child, but they must be incredibly proud to see their little boy's vision continue and see the legacy he has left behind.  I saw some kids wearing t-shirts this weekend that said "Jake's My Hero" and I couldn't help but think I need to get one in Adult XL.