An email from a freshman schoolmate at Deerfield High School made this year’s School Chest charity drive a little more personal for Rachel Nieder, a junior and one of the event’s co-chairs.
School Chest, the school’s annual charity drive which regularly raises more than $100,000, selected Deerfield-based Saving tiny Hearts Society as the beneficiary of its effort opening Nov. 5 and concluding Nov. 26 on campus and around town.
Saving tiny Hearts funds research on congenital heart disease. Brian Paul, a Highland Park resident and one of the founders of the organization started in Deerfield in 2006, said the anticipated gift will make a significant impact on the group’s efforts.
Since Paul’s son, Joshua Paul, now 14, was born in 2005 with a congenital heart condition requiring three surgeries before he was 30 months old, he learned more youngsters are afflicted with congenital heart defects than all forms of pediatric cancer.
Nieder, who co-chairs the event with junior Noa Friedland, received an email from a freshman with a congenital heart defect who offered to speak and help with School Chest.
“I realized how important this is if people like me are battling this every day of their lives,” Nieder said. “It’s amazing and made me feel really good we’re doing this.”
Friedland said she and Nieder began reviewing applications from more than 40 charities over the summer, narrowing it to 10 which they interviewed. Five of those made presentations to the student council and the field was narrowed to two finalists. The student body voted Saving tiny Hearts the winner Aug. 20, shortly after school opened.
With Saving tiny Hearts already expected to give grants totaling $400,000 to $500,000 this year, Brian Paul said receiving $100,000 or more from School Chest will help the organization grow to a new level.
“The award will be named the Deerfield High School 2019 School Chest Grant,” Paul said. “It will be a two-year grant. This will be our first time doing something like that.”
Friedland, Nieder and the rest of the School Chest team are planning a variety of events, some traditionally popular and others new to raise awareness of congenital heart defects. After an assembly introducing the effort to the student body, events will take place in individual homerooms, local restaurants and other venues in Deerfield.
Friedland said the Run for Change, a 5K race, is scheduled at 8 a.m. Nov. 16 at Adams Field. The benefit dinner takes place between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Ravinia Green Country Club and is traditionally the largest money-raiser, according to Mollie Kaplan, a Deerfield teacher and event sponsor.
Some events like Deerfield Idol, a singing competition, and Hoops for Hope, a basketball tournament, have new wrinkles this year. Deerfield Idol will have two components to determining a winner. One is judges and the other is real-time online fundraising which contestants can influence through social media.
“We fill the auditorium for it,” Friedland said. “We think this (addition) will keep people more interested. Singers are silly, funny and serious.”
In the past, Friedland said Hoops for Hope, a three-on-three basketball tournament, had teams of teenagers. This year, there will be an adult division as well.
Brian Paul said when Saving tiny Hearts started, it was mainly about helping young children because the odds of survival into adulthood were not good. Research has significantly increased life expectancy.
“With improvements in medicine, we hope to see people live with their conditions into parenthood and grandparenthood,” he said.
