Local Cub Scouts support “Matthew's Wish”
WEST MILFORD — Cub Scout Pack 51 of Oak Ridge/West Milford really made a difference. This past December, the Cubs collected and donated more than 200 toys to the “Matthew’s Wish” foundation, an organization that distributes toys to hospitals and centers that care for sick and terminally ill children.
About “Matthew’s Wish”Matthew McKinnon was 13 years old when he passed away in January, 2011 after a nine year battle with cancer. Matthew was granted a wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but he passed away before it could be fulfilled. His wish was to fill a tractor-trailer with toys to be delivered to kids at the place that his mother said became his family’s “home away from home” during his nine years of treatment: Cohen Children’s Medical Center (Schneider's Children's Hospital) in New Hyde Park, N.Y.
Together with family and friends, Matthew’s mother, Anne Marie, created the Matthew’s Wish Foundation in honor of her son to make his wish come true.
“When Matthew passed away on Jan. 16, 2011, I lost my oldest son," writes Anne Marie on the group's facebook page. "The dreams and wishes that I had for him were gone at that exact moment. However, what I did not lose was this wish that we talked about doing. He wanted to fill up an 18 wheeler full of toys and bring it to the hospital and surprise all the kids. He would say ‘I know how it feels to be in here Mom, and it sucks!’ LOL Matthew was also known around the family as Mr. Christmas. So with the help of my family and friends, I have created Matthew's Wish.”
The organization collects toys, books and games to deliver to Cohen's Children's Hospital. As a result of the efforts of Matthew’s mom and the many volunteers involved in the Matthew’s Wish foundation, a toy drive in Matthew’s honor has become an annual tradition. Each holiday season since Matthew’s passing, “Matthew’s Wish” has collected toys from various sources and volunteer organizations, filled tractor-trailers with them, and delivered them to children at the Cohen Children’s Center. The foundation has also delivered truckloads of toys to other organizations that care for sick and terminally ill children, such as the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island, the Stony Brook Hospital Outreach Program, and the Hamptons Hurricane Relief Fund.
Little “men” with big heartsWhen the boys of Cub Scout Pack 51 learned about “Matthew’s Wish” as an option for their annual community service project, they and their parents sprang into action collecting donations. The Cubs were able to collect more than 200 toys to donate to the foundation, and Pack 51 Committee Chair Laura Wymbs personally delivered the donations with her family on a Saturday in mid- December.
"[I’m] sooooo proud of how the boys stepped up,” said Wymbs.
A post on the Matthew’s Wish Facebook page from the foundation read, “Holy moly Cub Scout Pack 51...Over 200 toys collected...You boys are absolutely amazing! Sending you all a big ole' Matthew's Wish thank you!”
Way to go Pack 51 Cub Scouts!
To learn more about Matthew's Wish, check their Facebook page. The address of the foundation for donations is 4 Pinewood Lane, Hampton Bays, NY 11946.