Projects
“if i had a flower for every time i thought of you i could walk through my garden forever.”
in leiu of flowers
Our beautiful mother, Jeanette Campbell was killed by a distracted driver on July 31st, 2018.
Only weeks before, Jeanette lost her sister-in-law to brain cancer. At that memorial service, Jeanette commented on all of the beautiful flowers that had been sent and she noted what a difference that investment could have made if channeled towards a cause.
This conversation would resonate with Jeanette’s family as we waited for her grandchild to be released from CHOP so that funeral arrangements could be made.
When it came time to celebrate Jeanette’s life, we asked that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions would be made to the Child Life Program C/O Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who had done so much for our family.
child life fund
The Oswald children were all hospitalized as a result of a distracted driver crashing into the family vehicle.
Graham Oswald suffered even more serious injury and was rushed from Bucks County to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Being admitted to multiple Emergency Rooms made a terrifying experience even more traumatic. At CHOP, special care was taken by the staff of Child Life to create comfort in the midst of a trauma.
Child Life provided Jeanette’s grandson with immediate distractions to help ease a scary situation. Later they visited often bringing a stuffed animal, toys and activities to create comfort.
The kindness that our family was shown during this dark time will never be forgotten. When it was time to honor our Jeanette, we asked that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Child Life Program.
The donations that arrived for Child Life in Jeanette L. Campbell’s memory were overwhelming. Following the funeral, Jeanette’s family returned to CHOP to personally deliver a van load of stuffed animals and other items for children admitted to the hospital.
pajamas for trauma
Inspired by Jeanette L. Campbell’s giving spirit, Laura Oswald founded Pajamas for Trauma during the summer of 2019.
Each year, hundreds of children find themselves alone and scared in the Emergency Room after experiencing a traumatic event.
In 2018 our family joined this statistic. Jeanette was killed by a distracted driver who crashed into the family vehicle. Her daughter and grandchildren were hospitalized as a result.
Jeanette would have done anything to comfort a child in need. She often sewed pajamas as an expression of love.
It is in her memory that we assemble comforting care bags for children experiencing traumatic events who find themselves suddenly in the Emergency Room.
These bags will be assembled by Jeanette’s community and will be distributed to the local Lehigh Valley Children’s Hospital on her birthday, September 26th.