St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square, will hold a blood drive to benefit 11-year-old parishioner Jenna Bentley Feb. 3 from 3:30 to 8 p.m. in the school cafeteria.

Bentley, a sixth-grade student in the parish religious education program, was two years old when first diagnosed with a Wilm’s tumor on her kidney, necessitating surgery and chemotherapy until the age of four. After a long remission period, an ultrasound in September of last year, showed a recurrence of the tumor, resulting in the removal of the kidney. Further treatment and radiation for a total of 36 weeks is planned, and it has not yet been confirmed if the cancer has spread to her liver. To learn more about Jenna’s journey, see https://www.gofundme.com/2tzczrms.

Susan Scibilia, director of communications for St. Gregory the Great Parish, said, “We have done this type of support before. We conduct one or two blood drives a year, and this is a perfect fit. When it is a child, we want to be involved and give help. This is a continuation of support for the family.”

Scibilia continued, “We want to make it easy for adults to come in,” and noted the drive will feature many child-friendly activities, games, door prizes and Disney movies, and local vendors have donated food for the event. The blood drive will be conducted by the Community Blood Council of New Jersey, Inc.

For further information on blood donations, see GiveBloodNJ.org. To schedule an appointment, call Lori at 609-273-4217 or make an appointment online at tinyurl.com/prayersforjenna. Walk-ins are welcome. St. Gregory the Great Academy is located at 4620 Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square.