Times Tribune – By Patrice Wilding, 02/25/18
When Lisa Scarfo’s family needed support, her friends and neighbors in Scranton showed heart. The city resident, who gave birth to twins Nathan and Jack in 2008, spent sleepless nights in the Ronald McDonald House near Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as Jack underwent surgery to correct a congenital heart defect while he was still an infant. Years later, the exuberant third-grader bounds around Isaac Tripp Elementary School, lamenting math tests and appearing just as healthy and active as his peers. His mom is thankful to see her son thrive, and recently incorporated a nonprofit called Jack of Hearts-PA in his honor, which will allow the Scarfos to give back to the community that rallied around them in their time of need. “We knew we wanted to use our experience and fortunate success to provide support and resources to other families of kids with heart defects in NEPA,” Scarfo said. The group’s first major effort was a donation drive for Scranton’s Ronald McDonald House, which functions as a home away 
from home for families with kids in treatment in nearby hospitals. With enthusiastic cooperation from PTA members, faculty and students at eight schools in the Scranton School District, thousands of items from the charity’s wish list, from toiletries to pantry supplies to kids’ crafts, were collected in conjunction with 100th day of school celebrations. In addition to Isaac Tripp, William Prescott, Robert Morris, Neil Armstrong, Frances Willard and Charles Sumner elementary schools and Scranton High School, participated in the drive.
By the time Scarfo and her longtime friend Danielle Spathelf — whose daughter, Sophia, is in the third grade at Isaac Tripp with the twins — collected items from just half the schools on their list, they already had six carfuls to bring to Ronald McDonald House. “It’s a nice way to do community service and show the kids it’s important to give back,” Spathelf said. Letters went home with students in late January explaining about the drive, said Kelly Coyne, principal for preschool through second grade at Isaac Tripp Elementary. In the weeks that followed, the response was overwhelmingly positive. “We try to show our students that when you give something good, you get good in return,” Coyne said. “We find whenever we do something like this, the kids take direct ownership and feel important to be involved.” 
As Spathelf and Scarfo gathered donations at their kids’ school on a recent afternoon, fourth-grader Daniel Glynn bounded up to them with a last-minute addition and said he hoped his school had met its collection goal. “It feels really good to get things together for Jack,” Daniel said of supporting his classmate’s charity.“ Ronald McDonald House has it under control, and so does Isaac Tripp.”
How to help
For more information, visit the Jack of Hearts’ PA Inc. Facebook page or call 570-498-0818.
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