Jack Novorr probably hadn’t heard the phrase tikkun olam or even knew what it meant when he was 5 years old. But repairing the world is exactly what he set out to do one day soon after the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, causing death, destruction and all-around chaos.
The youngster just happened to see a news report about sick and injured children in New Orleans being airlifted here to Children’s Mercy Hospital. Jack’s parents, Jennifer and Scott Novorr, think the helicopter may have originally captured his attention, but it was the story of the children that stuck with him.
"We explained what was happening as best we could to a 5-year-old and he felt bad about the whole situation," Scott recalled.
Jack disappeared to his room for a while after that conversation. When his parents checked on him, they found he had spilled his piggy bank all over his room because he wanted to give his money to help the kids.
"I felt bad for them so I wanted to raise money to help them survive," said Jack, who is now a 10-year-old fifth-grade student at Cedar Hills Elementary School in the Blue Valley School District.
That year, with help from his parents and grandparents, Jack made his first donation to Children’s Mercy Hospital to the tune of about $800. His donation, and the time he has given to the project, has grown every year. Last year his efforts resulted in $5,000.
When this project began, Jack always requested that the money go to buy toys for the sick children. But last year hospital representatives asked him to support other efforts instead of purchasing toys. So last year his donation went into the fund to help build an emergency room at Children’s Mercy South.
This year Jack’s goal is to raise $10,000. It will go toward a pediatric dental clinic.
"The clinic operates at a $1 million loss every year," Scott said. They hope to use this money to purchase devices for children’s mouths that cost $2,000 each. Those devices will help keep the kids more comfortable while the dental work is being done."
Jack and his family have already begun this fundraising campaign. Jennifer said besides his brother and sisters — Tate, 5, Sophie, 8, and Lilah, 17 months — Jack has also recruited friends from school to help. The kick-off was a pizza party where a Children’s Mercy rep spoke to the children about fundraising efforts.
Sophie is proud that she has spearheaded a holiday bake sale in the neighborhood that netted $200. On Saturday, Dec. 11, a neighborhood friend offered a garage for a clothing and toy sale that raised $1,100.
"Here’s the cool part. We found out a friend of a friend, someone we don’t even know, offered to match everything we raised," Scott said.
Last year the family started a partnership with Jumping Jax, an indoor inflatable play venue in Overland Park. As it prepared for its grand opening in late 2009 Jumping Jax offered open play sessions to the public in exchange for a donation to CMH.
"Jumping Jacks donated all the money in Jack’s name," Scott said. "It was a win-win for both."
Once again Jumping Jax will host open-play sessions this year. Sessions are scheduled from 3 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 28, and Thursday, Dec. 30. Admission is a donation to CMH.
After five years, Jack is still excited about the project.
"I like helping sick kids who most of the time do not have a lot of money and I like setting goals each year," he said.
The Novorrs are truly proud of their son’s efforts, and the fact that all their children want to help as well.
"There are no words to describe how we feel," Scott said. "We couldn’t be more proud and it has just blown us away that Sophie and Tate have stepped up to help Jack as well. It’s a great feeling to see them care so much about helping others."
Jack and his friends will make the 2010 presentation to Children’s Mercy on Dec. 30. Anyone interested in making a donation can contact the Novorr family at .