“My dad always taught me that you can’t live your life, ‘Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve.’ And when you put your head on your pillow at night to know that you did the best job that you could, you know? No regrets. And I think that’s a big thing for me — to not live with regrets. And to help kids. How do you not help kids?” asks first grade teacher, Becky Schaepe.

That’s exactly what she’s doing with Wallenpaupack’s Big Give. A challenge based on TV talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey’s Big Give on ABC and radio station 98.5 KRZ’s Little Give, Becky hopes to raise $70 thousand to help seven-year-old Meadow Quinn of Paupack, who suffers from a tumor disorder.

A first grader at Wallenpaupack North Primary, Meadow has Neurofibromatosis or NF. “Currently, there is no cure for NF. Meadow has a full-time nurse who helps her throughout the day. One of the things the nurse does is help Meadow eat. Meadow currently eats through a feeding tube (she has since 18 months-old). Recently, Meadow’s family tried to get her into a four-week feeding clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, in which Meadow would be taught to eat without the aide of a tube. Unfortunately, the family’s insurance refused to cover this expense,” Becky explained in a letter to the Wallenpaupack School District, asking them to hop onboard the Big Give. “Together we can make Wallenpaupack’s Big Give a huge success,” she wrote. And they have. Over the past seven days, students, co-workers, community members and more, have helped collect $42 thousand.

The challenge
Let’s back up to the challenge. Becky says it’s based on Oprah’s Big Give in which,“Ten people are given money and try to make it multiply while helping families in need. Contestants have seven days which to accomplish this task,” Becky explained. She says she was driving to work when she heard KRZ’s  Rocky and Sue, morning announcers, talk about the Little Give, their own spin on Oprah’s challenge. “They said they would give five people $10 in which they, too, would try to make it grow while helping a family, charity, etc. To make a long story short, they asked for interested people to call or e-mail them. And guess what?” She got picked. And that’s how it all started.

Along the way, Wallenpaupack School District’s held an After School Jam, bake sales, basket raffles, talent show, canister collections and more. A total of 320 students turned out for the After School Jam which included arts and crafts, face painting, tattoos, and Dance Revolution. One little girl emptied out her piggy bank, donating $26 to the cause. “Her parents matched it. Grandma matched it,” Becky said. Teachers volunteered their time to run the event. “They all stepped up,” Becky said. She says it’s not about her. It’s about, “the District, the teachers, the faculty, the staff, the kids...it could never have been done alone,” she said.   

  
“Not only did we help Meadow, but we helped each other as a District and as a community. Everyone feels so good that they were part of this. What a great spirit that has come because of this. Like I said, I couldn’t have done it without the help. I might have initiated it, but there was no way, without everyone getting involved.”

Benefit barbecue March 30th
Coming up is Wallenpaupack’s Big Give for Meadow Quinn Benefit Dinner at Ledgedale BBQ Pit, located at the corner of Ledgedale and Goose Pond Road, on Sunday, March 30 from 2-7 p.m. Cost is $8 per adult and $5 for children under 12 and includes BBQ chicken with French fries and coleslaw.

Becky is grateful to a giving community. “What school district or community, in seven days, could raise that kind of money for a little girl? You know, you’re just hoping that maybe somebody bigger hears about it and they just step up to the plate and help us out. That would be the icing on the cake.” 

Meadow's favorite food is pizza, but she’s not yet able to eat a slice.
 Fed through a feeding tube since 18 months-old, Meadow is trying to learn how to eat. She’s up to about seven bites, with the rest through the tube.

 Mike Cali, manager of Domino’s® Pizza in Peckville, heard Meadow’s story on WNEP16 and his heart went out to her. With two children of his own, 13-year-old Michael and 9-year-old Deidra, he just wanted to help. “When the little girl said her favorite food is pizza, it was the easiest thing for me to do,” he said. What he’s doing is sending between 80 to 100 pizzas to the school to be sold at a $1 a slice, with all proceeds to benefit Meadow’s medical needs.

 We asked Meadow what else makes her favorites list and found out cats rank pretty high. She has four, two cats and two kittens: Melman Foot Hanger, Tanner Jr., Belle Star, and Anne Oakley. Oh, did we mention she loves Pugs, the wrinkly-faced toy dog breed?  She has two — of the stuffed variety. She’s also quick to point out how much she loves her 10-year-old sister Ashley, someone she calls her best friend. Sister Ashley loves Yorkies, she’s quick to point out.
Meadow is the daughter of Lisa and Tim Quinn.   

     
If you’d like to make a donation, checks are being accepted at North Primary, c/o Becky Schaepe, 158 Atlantic Avenue, Hawley, PA 18428.