School Collects 2,200 Videos for Sick Kids

“My sister and best friend” would have been proud, said Michael Hart, a dean at Chaminade Middle School who organized a video drive for hospitalized children.

Hart rallied support from the school community and amassed more than 2,200 new and used videos that were distributed Tuesday to area children’s hospital wards and women’s shelters.

Hart said his sister, Eileen Hart, “loved kids and she loved movies.” She died in 1999 of pneumonia at age 54. “This is my way of honoring her.”

She would have been happy to know that the videos were entertaining sick children, many of whom don’t have visitors, Hart said.

“This is very uplifting for me,” said Hart, whose mother died about two months ago. “And it shows the students the importance of community service.”

Garrett Nolan, 13, is one of five students who helped coordinate the project, now in its second year.

“Laughter is the best medicine,” Garrett said.

This year, students collected more than twice the number of videos gathered last year, when Hart began the project a few months after his sister’s death.

“Sometimes, the lessons taught outside the classroom are the most important,” said Principal Christine Hunter, adding that the private school emphasizes community service.