Hope

1,000 Big Fun Boxes were delivered to hospitalized cystic fibrosis patients around the United States. The boxes were donated to children during extended hospital stays, providing them with games, activities, creative outlets and fun. With the support of the Boomer Esiason Foundation, The Big Fun Boxes were delivered to hospitals covering 10 states and 3,000 pediatric patients.

The Big Fun Box is the brainchild of a Jacksonville family with plenty of experience in extended hospital stays. Co-founders Jo Anne McKinney and her son Grant Prather are excited to see such interest in The Big Fun Box. Prather, a student at the University of North Florida. was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at 6 months old and underwent a bilateral lung transplant 7 years ago. “Long hospital stays are not fun,” Prather explained, “so we improvised on our own fun. Creating The Big Fun Box is my family’s way of giving back.”

Each Big Fun Box is filled with toys, games and activities—many of which Prather and his family designed to entertain and foster a child's active imagination. “When you’re a kid spending a lot of time in the hospital, you learn to use your imagination in lots of oddball ways,” Prather explained. “You can go anywhere your mind takes you, and that distraction makes hospital time more bearable—and possibly shorter, too.”

The Big Fun Foundation’s goal is to donate Big Fun Boxes to every pediatric hospital in the country. "The greater the corporate sponsorship, the sooner that goal can be realized," McKinney said. “The generosity of groups like The Boomer Esiason Foundation and CysticFibrosis.com is certainly helping us move toward our goal. It’s going to make a difference for children and families who need it most.”

The Big Fun Box will be available in Spanish in the fall.

For more information about supporting the foundation’s work through financial or in-kind donations, please visit www.thebigfunbox.org or contact Jo Anne McKinney at (904) 635-9822.

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