The cafeteria at Pleasant Valley School was temporarily transformed into a donation site Wednesday as area residents turned out give blood in honor of Jared Callan, a 7-year-old township resident burned in a Halloween mishap.
HARRISON TWP. -- Angela Poley had a very personal reason for coming to donate to a Red Cross blood drive on Wednesday at Pleasant Valley School.
The drive was held in honor of 7-year-old Jared Callan, a Harrison Township resident burned in a Halloween mishap.
Poley, a Mullica Hill resident who works at the burn treatment center at Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Pennsylvania, was working on Halloween.
"I'm a nurse and I actually took care of Jared when he came into the hospital the first night," Poley said. "And I know his parents."
Jared was attending a Halloween party with his family when his costume brushed over a candle. He suffered burns over 35 percent of his body and spent 26 days in the hospital. His recovery included several skin-graft surgeries and four blood transfusions.
The community rallied to support the family, helping provide meals, launching an online fundraiser and offering to assist with any other needs as parents Mike and Selena took turns staying with Jared at the hospital.
Mike Callan was one of the first up to give blood Wednesday, arriving with kids Jared, Jenna and Brooke.
Organizers filled all of their donor appointment slots and had already seen many walk-in donors after the first hour.
Several attendees expressed delight at the progress Jared has made since the accident, but his recovery continues, including trips for therapy sessions.
"We still go to the hospital three days a week," Mike said. "We just came from there."
Jared took all the recent attention in stride as several donors stopped to say hello.
"I'm the famous one," Jared joked as he played with his sisters near the sign-in table Wednesday afternoon. Decked out in his Flyers hat, he laughed and chatted with family and friends as he waited for his dad to give blood.
Jared was able to return to school last week and is gradually resuming his usual activities.
"He still has a long road," Mike noted as he looked across the cafeteria at his son playing with friends. "He's probably going to have to have another surgery in about a year. As far as how it could have gone, that's OK."
Current and former teachers turned out to donate, too.
"I used to be a teacher here and anything that affects our students still affects me," said retired educator Nancy Robertson.
Brooke's fifth-grade teacher, Krissy Love, was excited to donate, because she knew how much this contribution mattered.
"As soon as the blood drive came up, I just thought that I would donate," she said. "There are so many people who need blood all the time."
Love was impressed with the response she has seen since Jared's accident. "It's really been great," she said. "Our community members just really rally together."
Mike and Selena expressed their appreciation for that support.
"People have been awesome," Mike said as he watched donors arriving in a steady stream. "Something I never expected happened and people helped out beyond belief."
Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.