NJ teen honors late grandparents by spreading kindness to others

♥ NJ non-profit provides hospital patients and staff with care bags

♥ Happy Hearts Foundation was created by a Freehold teen

♥ The goal is to honor the lives of his late grandparents

WEST FREEHOLD — During the holiday season, it’s always uplifting to read about a feel-good local organization in the community, especially one that is run by a teenager.

The Happy Hearts Foundation was created a year ago by 16-year-old Freehold Township High School junior Carmine Steffens.

The mission of the non-profit is to provide hospital patients and caregivers with care bags in order to improve the quality of their hospital stay or work shift.

The Inspiration

The teen said he was inspired to create this organization to memorialize the lives of his grandparents, Carmine and RoseMarie Bonomo.

Steffens’ grandfather died on Sept. 6, 2000, from a heart attack. The teen never got to meet him. His grandmother passed away 20 years later on Nov. 26, 2020, from pancreatic cancer.

He said his grandmother was a huge part of his life as his primary caretaker because his parents worked so much. So, having never met his grandpa, and losing a woman who he loved so dearly, and depended on every day for 16 years, it left a huge hole in his soul.

“So, I started this in their memory, and the goal of this is not to just help people, it’s to help people in their name, and do it all for them,” Steffens said.

He was looking for a place where could make the biggest impact. Since his grandfather died of a heart attack and his grandmother died of cancer, Steffens felt he could help patients with similar illnesses. But he also wanted to help anyone who could use a little brightening in their day, and a hospital setting was the best place for that.

The Care Bags

The patient care bags consist of a comb, lip balm, a sleep mask, a personalized get-well card, a stress ball or a stress toy, a motivational quote, and a crossword puzzle. These are all things to help make their hospital stay a little more comfortable, Steffens said.

The caregiver care bags consist of a badge reel, a mini pen, a mini flashlight, a personalized thank-you card and motivational quotes, as well. These are all things to help make their work shifts a little more effective and easier, he added.

When he first started, Steffens said he bought everything himself with his own money to put together the care bags. Now, that the organization has grown, he has reached out to several manufacturers to help with donations. There is one, which he did not name, that already donated 1,000 combs. He hopes to find other places that will donate stress balls, face masks, and lip balm.

He is also looking for businesses and restaurants to partner with him to host fundraisers and events to help the non-profit continue their work.

Steffens would also love to add different items to the bags to make as great as possible. If anyone is interested in donating money or items, they can check out the Happy Hearts website, and social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.

They can also email the teen. He'll either pick up the items, of if someone wants to ship them to him, that's fine too. They can also link to the Happy Hearts Amazon Wishlist to help them gather supplies to fill care bags for people battling illnesses.

Steffens has delivered nearly 500 patient and caregiver care bags to 10 different hospitals in New Jersey, to date. He also recently started delivering packages to hospitals in New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

He said he just started googling nearby hospitals in other states, called and asked what they needed for their patients and caregivers, made the bags, and sent them.

Steffens said he’s received emails from hospitals saying how thankful patients were to receive their goodie bags, and from staff members who were grateful for the things that made their shifts so much more effective and easier.

Future Goals

Steffens sees the organization growing because he’s determined to keep it going, even when he’s in college.

“This is become my life mission. This foundation is who I am, so I will do everything I can to grow it, and I know that if keep putting the time and effort into it, it will grow exponentially,” he said.

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