One of the highlights of Catholic Schools Week was “Nickels for JD”, an SNS service project that raised over $7,600 for third grader J.D. Sobota and his family. In January, the family traveled to Stanford University Hospital in California to begin JD’s first round of treatment for an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the center of his brain.  An AVM is a tangle of abnormal blood vessels connecting arteries and veins in the brain. The money collected will help defray medical and travel expenses for J.D. and his family.

On Wednesday, January 30th, SNS students gathered in the gym for the fundraiser, which kicked off with a brief prayer for JD. The students then lined up the thousands of nickels they gathered to create messages of support for JD.

6 ABC news featured this special service project, and a video of the event was sent to JD and his family. J.D.’s grandmom, Ceil Frack, teaches music to all SNS students.

“Please keep J.D. and his family in your daily prayers,” said SNS Principal Mary Kay Hennessy, “and thank you for your generosity. St. Norbert School is a warm, loving community because of its students, parents, faculty and staff. We are family and it is especially important to remember during times like these.”