On Feb. 12 fifth graders at Langtree Elementary School in Hamilton delivered Valentines to cancer patients as part of a year-long project bringing awareness to cancer.
HAMILTON -- On and around Valentine's Day at elementary schools everywhere, children exchange Valentines with each other and often put them in paper bags labeled "Be Mine."
At Langtree Elementary School in Hamilton, fifth grade students sent out their Valentines to a cause a bit more meaningful.
On Friday Feb. 12, the students delivered more than 50 Valentine's Day care packages to patients undergoing chemotherapy at Robert Wood Johnson's Cancer Institute of New Jersey in Hamilton, Langtree PTA member Valerie Castano said.
"It has become a tradition that Langtree Elementary School fifth graders perform an act of service before they move onto middle school," Castano said. The service project was first started in 2009 by former Langtree Principal Peggy Gens, who retired in 2012.
"Peggy Gens believed that service projects would help students begin to think about how they can make a difference in the world as well as show appreciation for all that their community has done for them," Castano continued.
Castano said the fifth graders worked through their indoor recess to ensure the Valentine's Day bags and cards would be assembled and written out in time.
She said items in the bags were collected throughout December and January and included hats, scarves, puzzle books, tissues, pens, hard candy, hand sanitizer, tissues and lotions.
"We are so proud of our fifth graders," Langtree Principal Joyce Gallo said. "The chemotherapy care packages donation is only the first phase of a year-long service project."
Castano said in March the students will participate in the Pennies for Patients fundraiser to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
And in May they will lead a school-wide walk-a-thon and toy drive for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, she said.
"The fifth graders have been so excited about the service project," Castano said. "They have been influential in getting their families and friends to send in donations and were eager to put together the packages and fill out the Valentine's Day cards."
Castano serves as co-chair of the 2015-2016 Fifth Grade Service Committee with Jamie Le. Both are nurses - Castano works at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton.
The Fifth Grade Service Committee was formed in 2009 to help the students carry out their projects.
Castano said she and Le chose to focus on cancer awareness, specifically Leukemia and Lymphoma, this year.
"Both (of us) have close relatives who are cancer survivors," Castano said. "Additionally, around the time that the committee was being formed, a Langtree parent was diagnosed with a form of blood cancer."
Through social media, parent fliers and an assembly presented to the students at Langtree Elementary by the school nurse, Castano said the committee was able to spread the word about the project and collect donations.
"Many of our lives have been touched by this disease in one form or another," Langtree PTA President Angela Mendola said. "The purpose of the care packages is to provide comfort to patients and encourage them during their treatments that can last up to several hours at a time each visit."
Lindsay Rittenhouse may be reached at lrittenhouse@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.