Millburn student chapter sends 700 handmade cards to hospitalized kids

By AI, Created 5:21 AM UTC, June 01, 2026, /AGP/ – Skyler Fortucci’s student-led Cards For Hospitalized Kids chapter at Millburn High School has produced more than 700 handmade cards for children in hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses nationwide. The project has grown from a personal act of kindness into a school and community effort with plans to keep expanding in high school and college.

Why it matters: - The Millburn High School chapter is turning a small volunteer effort into direct support for children facing long hospital stays. - Handmade cards can offer comfort, encouragement, and a sense of connection when families cannot always be present. - The project has also become a community-building effort, drawing in students, families, and local organizations.

What happened: - Skyler Fortucci launched a student-led chapter of Cards For Hospitalized Kids at Millburn High School in Millburn, New Jersey. - The club creates handmade cards with uplifting messages, drawings, stickers, and encouragement for children in hospitals. - The cards are sent to Cards For Hospitalized Kids for distribution to children’s hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses across the country. - Fortucci said the idea grew from making cards with her mother and wanting to help children facing difficult hospital stays. - The chapter has produced more than 700 cards since launching, topping Fortucci’s original goal of 500.

The details: - Club members meet twice a month to make cards for hospitalized children. - Fortucci serves as the main point of contact between the school chapter and the national organization. - The chapter grew after an initial push to recruit students and build momentum. - Card-making has expanded beyond school meetings into family gatherings, library events, Temple B’nai Jeshurun, senior communities, and holiday events. - Fortucci is also a student at Millburn High School, a member of the Italian Honor Society, and co-chair of Strut For The Cure, a student fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. - Fortucci works with students through Temple B’nai Jeshurun’s Hebrew school program and has brought Cards For Hospitalized Kids projects into classroom activities. - Nicole Rothenberger, Fortucci’s English teacher and chapter advisor, called Fortucci organized, clear in communication, and effective in the role.

Between the lines: - The chapter shows how a student-led service project can scale when it gives people a simple, low-barrier way to participate. - The move from school meetings to wider community spaces suggests the effort has become part of Fortucci’s broader civic identity, not just an extracurricular activity. - The project’s growth also reflects a durable model: repeatable, hands-on volunteer work that can be continued by future students.

What’s next: - Fortucci plans to keep growing the chapter through the rest of high school. - Fortucci hopes to build a foundation that future students can continue after she graduates. - Fortucci also wants to start a new Cards For Hospitalized Kids chapter in college. - People can support the effort by making cards, volunteering, or helping with card collection through Cards For Hospitalized Kids. - More information is available by following @cfhkclubmhs on Instagram and visiting the Cards For Hospitalized Kids website.

The bottom line: - A single act of kindness has become a growing volunteer network sending hundreds of handmade messages to hospitalized children nationwide.