More than 40 volunteers organized donations for Super Sam comfort packs on Sunday inside St. Peter Catholic School gymnasium. There were 550 comfort packs assembled, each including a blanket, stuffed animal and movie for children facing illnesses such as cancer and cystic fibrosis. More than 2,000 items were collected.
The comfort packs will be delivered to St. Louis Children's Hospital, the University of Missouri Women's and Children's Hospital and more nationwide.
Organizing the comfort pack drive was an initiative of "Super" Sam Santhuff, a 6-year-old Fulton boy who passed away from cancer in September, that his family and supporters are now fulfilling in his honor.
"We promised Sam many times in his last hours that we were going to keep his light shining, and with this it's going to shine with a whole lot of kids," Cassie Santhuff, Sam's mother, said.
The original goal was to assemble at least 100 comfort packs, symbolizing Sam's 100 days of isolation after a bone marrow transplant.
Each of the 550 Super Sam comfort packs included a note describing the purpose of the packs:
"This comfort pack was packaged especially for you in hopes of giving you a little extra comfort when you are not feeling well. This pack was the wish of 6-year-old cancer patient "Super Sam" who wanted nothing more than to help all the kids in their fight against life-altering conditions. Each pack has been prayed over for your health and comfort. We hope you enjoy this special pack and that it brings you much deserved comfort."
Cassie Santhuff, her husband Matt and supporters have formed The Super Sam Foundation - an organization to continue the fight against childhood cancer.
For more information on the Super Sam Foundation, go to Facebook and search "SuperSam's Heroes." To learn more about "Super" Sam Santhuff, go to caringbridge.org and search "Sam Santhuff."