Ryken student makes lives better
St. Mary’s Ryken sophomore James O’Hara saw an opportunity to help local families who may have been struggling to provide gifts for their children during the recent holiday this season and ended up collecting four large boxes of toys.
O’Hara teamed up with fellow classmates and families from his alma mater Father Andrew White school and began collecting new and gently used toys for families. He had previously worked with Ryken Campus Minister Beth Allen to help prepare Boxes of Hope for those less fortunate moving into housing.
“James is a wonderful example of the power of each of us to impact the lives of others,” St. Mary’s Ryken Principal Catherine Bowes said in a news release.
The toys were distributed through “Building Bridges,” a nonprofit organization in Lexington Park that assists families in need.
O’Hara is continuing to help others. He is partnering with teacher Jon Smith in the school’s MIL STEM and Innovation wing to print rosary rings on 3-D printers.
Project Rosaries for Hope has produced 73 rosary rings so far.
“The rosary ring project came to me when I was thinking about [how] Mrs. Allen wanted to distribute rosaries to detention centers, but was unable to because it was considered unsafe,” said O’Hara, who then decided to print small, plastic, pocket-sized rosary rings as an alternative.
“James is an authentic leader in our school community as he exemplifies the five Xavarian values each and every day,” Smith said in the release. “We are so excited to usher James towards a future brimming with service and success.”