OP Boy on a Mission to Help Kids

Sometimes being in the right place at the right time can spark an idea that soon turns into a passion. Jack Novorr can attest to that.

In 2005, the then-5-year-old Overland Park boy saw a TV news report about Hurricane Katrina. Images of sick children being airlifted from New Orleans to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City sparked Jack’s curiosity.

“At first I didn’t really know what was going on, but then when my parents explained it to me, I felt really bad for the kids,” Jack recalls nearly six years later.

Afterward, Jack disappeared into his room. When his parents checked on him, he was sitting on the floor emptying out his piggy bank. He said he wanted to donate all of his money to the kids on TV to help buy new toys.

“Although Jack was only 5, he was always a very sensitive and curious child,” his father, Scott, says. “When we walked in his room to see him sitting around a pile of loose change, we were extremely touched.”

His parents and grandparents matched what he had in his piggy bank, and Jack donated around $800 to Children’s Mercy. The money was used to buy toys for the kids who were sick.

The story could have ended there, but Jack wasn’t done. The following year, around Halloween, he reminded his parents that they needed to give money to the kids at the hospital. Since then, he has been on a mission to raise money for Children’s Mercy, and each year his collections have significantly increased. Over the past five years, he has raised around $21,000.

Now an 11-year-old, Jack brainstorms with his parents and siblings to come up with ideas for his fundraisers. They start planning in mid-summer and hold fundraisers during the Christmas season.

“The first few years I mainly called and wrote letters to family and friends,” Jack says. “Then when I got older, I started having a big part of my fundraiser at a place called Jumping Jax.”

The Novorr family’s neighbors own the popular indoor play venue in Overland Park. Two years in a row they have generously donated open play sessions in exchange for a donation to Children’s Mercy.

Last year, the money collected at Jumping Jax and other fundraisers – more than $11,000 altogether – helped purchase equipment for the Department of Dentistry at Children’s Mercy.

D. Bradley Leech, VP and chief development officer at Children’s Mercy, has worked with Jack for four years.

“Jack is such an amazing kid,” he says. “I’d never worked with a philanthropist under the age of 10 before.”

Along the way Jack has inspired other kids to help his cause. Last year he held a pizza party to ask kids to start their own fundraisers for Children’s Mercy. The hospital bought the pizza and around 30 families came to show their support.

Jack has also been an inspiration to his family over the past five years. “We [he and wife Jennifer] have always done our best to give whatever and whenever we can, but Jack’s efforts toward Children’s Mercy have been a great example for his siblings,” Scott says.

Jack’s 8-year-old sister, Sophie, held a bake sale that raised several hundred dollars for Children’s Mercy and has expanded her efforts to other organizations as well.

Scott explains, “After I went on a trip to Haiti this past November to spend time with orphans, Sophie decided that she wanted to raise money to help buy school uniforms for kids who couldn’t otherwise afford them. In Haiti, you can’t go to public school unless you can purchase a uniform. Sophie raised over $500 to help.”

Five-year-old Tate is also involved in do-good missions. Last year, he had the idea of a used toy sale and raised more than $2,000 for Jack’s cause.

Baby sister Lilah is not quite 2 yet, but the Novorr family knows she will be contributing her own ideas and efforts in a few short years.

Jack will begin planning his 2011 fundraisers over his summer break. “My goal this year is to raise $15,000,” he says.

The Novorr family is thankful to everyone involved in Jack’s cause.

“So many people have supported Jack over the years, including his cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Also, Mike and Pam Yonkers (owners of Jumping Jax) have been extremely generous with donating the use of their facility. And, of course, Children’s Mercy has been an incredible partner in this,” Scott says. “They have really taken Jack under their wings and supported his efforts as if he were a million dollar donor. Jennifer and I couldn’t be more proud of Jack and his siblings, as this really has turned into a family and community cause.”

Those who wish to contribute to Jack’s fundraising efforts can mail a check to Children’s Mercy (attention D. Bradley Leech) with “Jack Novorr Fundraising Project” in the memo line.

Tisha Foley was honored to write this story about Jack. He is an inspiration to her family of four in Belton.