Hobart elementary school earns Riley wagon license
A little red wagon served as the centerpiece of a quiet celebration Thursday at Hobart’s Joan Martin Elementary.
An Indiana 4RILEYKIDS license plate was featured on the rear of the wagon with the names of three Joan Martin students who are undergoing treatment at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.
The names of Tristan Giovenco, Xavier Mejia and Conner Pierce along with an image of Yohan, Hobart’s purple and gold mascot, adorn the special license plate.
Children at Riley are transported in the red wagons while they’re at the hospital.
Last year, after teachers and school staff realized three students were undergoing treatment at Riley, they launched an ambitious fundraising effort to earn a license plate for the boys. They capped the project with a May celebration and dunk tank for teachers.
Joan Martin typically raises about $1,000, said third grade teacher Rachel Sieffert who headed the project along with teacher Cristina Bullington.
Conner and Tristan greeted their supporters at the celebration, along with their parents.
Second-grader Conner, 7, has neurofibromatosis, a disorder that causes tumors to form on nerve tissue.
His grandmother, Sharon Latham, of Hammond, said he’s part of a chemotherapy trial that calls for him to take a chemo pill twice a day.
Fifth-grader Tristan, 11, is being treated for bicuspid aortic valve disease, which disrupts the blood flow from the heart.
His mother, Christine Giovenco, said Tristan is doing well now but makes regular trips to Riley. She said doctors want to perform open heart surgery when he’s about 15. He’s been treated at Riley since he was born, she said.
“Everyone there is just amazing,” Giovenco said of their Riley experience. She said it provides her with a “calming” effect.
Fourth-grader Xavier Mejia, who suffers from neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that affects children, is still homebound and missed the wagon celebration.
“The courage you have each and every day inspires all of us to be like you,” Superintendent Peggy Buffington told the boys. “You are special to us every day.”
Susan Miles, of the Riley Children’s Foundation, said she’ll return the wagon back to Riley where it will be waiting for the boys.
She said the $5,000 raised by the school will be used in research at the hospital.
“To be able to sponsor a wagon is extraordinary,” she said.