Students raise more than $23,000 for hospital workers

The goal was $19,000 — a play off COVID-19 — so named for the coronavirus disease that emerged during late 2019 in China.

Students in the Campus Ministry at Saint Joseph High School, Metuchen, raised that amount within two days of launching a fundraising challenge via a social media blitz to help health care professionals dealing with patients amid the coronavirus pandemic.

And after the campaign ended May 6, the total pledges among 295 donors broke past the mark — to $23,275 — according to an online tally.

The proceeds are going to JFK Medical Center in neighboring Edison toward personal protective equipment (PPE) used by nurses and other frontline workers trying to save lives while protecting themselves and preventing the spread of the killer virus, which led to a lockdown throughout New Jersey and a pandemic worldwide.

“It makes you hope more people will start other fundraisers, so we can turn the curve on this pandemic,” said Alyssa Davis, the Metuchen school’s communications director.

Tracey Coudriet, the school’s Campus Ministry director, recalled representatives from Saint Joseph’s advancement and alumni relations office approached her with the fundraising idea.

“They came to me and asked, ‘Is this something you think your campus ministers would be interested in doing?’” Coudriet said. “I said absolutely.”

Reaching out to junior students involved in Campus Ministry, Coudriet said she received many fundraising suggestions. She also said four students assembled an “impressive campaign.” The quartet — Patrick Keefe, Alessandro Pugliese, Andrew Dekovics and Anthony Altobelli IV — and their peers from the ministry launched a social media campaign to solicit donations for the hospital's COVID-19 Response Fund.

“They designed the entire thing from beginning to end, with what they wanted from videos and how they wanted to get people from JFK Medical to do videos for us,” Coudriet said.

The online presence included a message from Jim Ziemba, a 1979 St. Joseph alumnus and a registered nurse at JFK. Posted at alumni.stjoes.org/g/covid-19k-challenge, Ziemba spoke about how the work has been hard and sometimes discouraging.

Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing. While most people develop only mild symptoms, other people, usually those with other medical complications, develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal.

Ziemba also said he and other hospital workers have been encouraged by people’s concern and fundraising efforts such as the undertaking at Saint Joseph.

“It’s a great comfort knowing that we have the equipment to keep us safe while we’re caring for those patients safely,” Ziemba said in his thank you video message.

The appeal began at midnight 

May 4 and ended May 6. The group reached the $19,000 goal 38 hours into the campaign, Davis said.  

The effort drew media stories and kudos from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

“In just two days, the students of St. Joseph High School in Metuchen raised more than $20,000 for PPE for our health care heroes at JFK Medical Center in Edison,” the governor tweeted. “#NJThanksYou!”

Said Davis: “For the alumni and current students, especially those four students who initiated this fundraiser, to get recognition from the governor makes you feel even better about the fact you were able to raise that amount of money.”

Hardly anyone, it seems, has been untouched by the coronavirus, whether it’s been family members who have lost loved ones, relatives who have lost their jobs, or merchants who have been forced to shut down their businesses. Saint Joseph alumnus Karl-Anthony Towns, an NBA all-star who plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves, lost his mother, Jacqueline Cruz, because of complications from the coronavirus. Closer to home, retired Sacred Heart Brother Ronald Cairns, who spent decades at St. Joseph, died April 17 from coronavirus-related complications, Davis said.

With schools such as Saint Joseph’s being shuttered well into the third month, it’s even more noteworthy what alumni, faculty and staff — and especially students —  accomplished as one small measure to help slow down the rapidly spreading virus.

“The boys were beyond impressive,” Coudriet said of the four student leaders. “They were focused, they were driven, they were committed. I can’t give them enough credit.”

Saint Joseph’s Campus Ministry consists of about 80 members at the all-male school who help lead the 500 students in spirituality, service and social outreach. The ministry is involved with planning monthly Masses during the academic year, conducting food and clothing drives that benefit the local community, and supporting local nonprofits.

The nonprofit JFK Medical Center, which was founded in 1967 and is part of Hackensack Meridian Health, includes a 498-bed community health care facility serving residents of Middlesex, Union and Somerset counties.