Take a Stand to Cancer Club at Providence Catholic holding gift card drive

In one way or another, cancer affects nearly everybody. whether you're the one fighting it or you know someone who is, it's part of everyone's life.

The Take a Stand to Cancer Club at Providence Catholic is collecting gift cards from Target, Amazon and local restaurants to deliver to those at the Joliet Oncology Hematology Associates to bring joy to those receiving Chemotherapy treatment, and staff members.

The drive lasts until Friday. Students can drop off the gift cards at the main office and visitors can go to door No. 1 on the north side of the building, ring the bell and someone will meet them outside to collect the gift card.

Doing gestures like this puts a lot of things into perspective for senior member Caden Jones. And the drive is personal for Jones, whose grandmother was affected by cancer.

"Right now with the COVID pandemic, we've all had a bad year, but we recognize that we're still blessed with the opportunity to do stuff like this," Jones said. "I have the ability to give back and start a drive and I really wanted to because of my grandma."

He added that he also wants to show his appreciation for the staff and what they do for people like his grandma.

Jones didn't know the exact number collected as of Monday, but it is going better than expected.

The club usually donates "blessing bags" filled with different amenities, but that was not possible this year.

Jones said his favorite part is dropping off the blessing bags to the center and meeting the people receiving treatment and those taking care of the patients

"It's really rewarding to see the people you're affecting," he said. "It makes me see that my time was worth it and it's great to make these people smile."

And as Jones helped coordinate this drive, he really wanted himself and other club members to realize that they are blessed with the opportunity to help those having an even worse 2020."

"Things could be much worse for us," he said. "It's been a tough year for all of us and anyway we can give back to someone in a much worse situation, is good. It sucks to not have our dances (and a regular school year), but these people have to get chemo and deal with cancer on top of the pandemic.

"We get caught up in everything going on and we sometimes forget about people that (need help). That's the focus of the drive."