Lily Cuticchia of Haddon Township, NJ, stands with the 200 backpacks full of personal care items that she donated to patients at Cooper.
Eight-year-old Lily Cuticchia of Haddon Township, NJ, is back at it again, opening her heart and hands to help others in need. The soon-to-be third grader St. Rose of Lima Catholic School recently visited Cooper University Hospital to donate more than 200 backpacks filled with blankets and personal care items to help homeless patients receiving care at Cooper’s emergency department and addiction medicine program.
It was in 2020 during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic that Lily first began her outreach efforts on behalf of Cooper patients. At that time, Lily collected more than 1,200 pairs of men’s, women’s, and children’s socks to help patients in need.
This year, Lily wanted to continue her generous outreach, so she held a bake sale in May to raise the funds to purchase the items for the backpack care kits.
“Lily has always had a big heart and I have always encouraged her to help others,” said Lily’s mother, Jordan Warner, a team member at Cooper’s Center for Healing, a program that provides a wide range of services for patients with substance abuse disorders. Learning about her mother’s job was the impetus for Lily’s philanthropy.
“We are amazed and grateful for Lily’s continued generosity,” said Rachel Haroz, MD, a board certified emergency medicine and addiction medicine specialist at Cooper. “Lily is a role model for people of any age. We will be able to help so many people because she cared about them. She is really a special girl.”
To thank Lily for her efforts, the staff of Center for Healing presented Lily with an Act of Kindness Award. “We look forward to Lily’s generosity every year,” said Dr. Haroz. “We want to make her an honorary member of our staff.”
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Wendy A. Marano
Cooper University Health Care
856.382.6463
marano-wendy@cooperhealth.edu