Local business owner spearheads effort through social media to ease a child’s suffering
It takes a village to raise a child, and it also sometimes takes a borough to help a child and his family going through a rough time. Benita Cooper and the Haddonfield community have banded together to do just that.
Jack Baer, the 3-and-a-half-year-old son of Center City Philadelphia resident — and Cooper’s friend of more than 10 years — Brad Baer, was diagnosed with leukemia in early July of 2017. Adding to the stress of such an unexpected health scare at such a tender age, was that Brad and wife Katie were also working their way through a home renovation project and living in a separate apartment, all while expecting their second child, a boy named Jude, who was born 11 days premature in late September.
Spurred to action, Cooper came up with a heartfelt way to recognize Jack’s brave fight against a potentially fatal condition. Due to the effects of the treatment for leukemia, Jack was going to lose his hair. Within a day of posting on a Haddonfield community Facebook group in early August, she rounded up nearly 20 hats, gift cards, along with the donation of a family/newborn portrait session. The session was provided by Sara McCaffrey Photography, a venture which focuses on professional family lifestyle and portrait photography. McCaffrey herself is a new Haddonfield resident.
“It was all very organic, very natural,” Cooper said of the way in which the charitable effort took off from a series of simple social media posts.
Over the course of the last few weeks, Cooper and the community stepped up their giving and were able to corral dozens of pieces of additional headwear, including sports- and cartoon-themed hats as well as hand-knitted and crocheted hats for Jack and his little brother. Cooper said more than 50 families donated hats and contributed $500 in additional funds toward aiding the Baers.
A Harvard-educated architect, Cooper owns and operates Benita Cooper Design in Haddonfield, which was established in 2008. No stranger to lending a hand where it’s needed most, she also handles the nonprofit The Best Day of My Life So Far, which aims to curtail social isolation in older adults by encouraging them to share their unique life experiences through storytelling.
The mother of two boys has been a Haddonfield resident since the summer of 2016, after spending a number of years living in Philadelphia, a short walk from the Baer’s residence.
“I do feel a genuine responsibility to support this family as the best friend I can be. I cannot cure physical illness, but I can bring a little relief with a smile,” added Cooper. “And so I thought, let me try to collect five hats, just to absorb and symbolize all the kindness and love that exists in this world.”
After a 15-day period asking for donations to help the child she affectionately calls “Super Jack,” Cooper and her family dropped off the proceeds to the Baers, which included the mountain of hats along with hand-crafted wood hooks from a woodworker located in the United Kingdom. That special touch, gained through additional funds raised by the group, made it so the Baers had enough space and a classy place to hang the physical reminders of kindness Cooper is loathe to call an “effort.”
“Loyalty is everything, and I will always be there for anyone I have the honor to call a friend,” Cooper added.
For his part, Brad Baer is touched by how swiftly a community that is not his own was able to accomplish something so special. He prefers to let the light shine on others for their deeds, rather than focusing on his own family’s plight.
“I don’t want this to be about me. I just wanted to find a way to thank the community for such a thoughtful gesture,” Baer said.
If anyone in Haddonfield wishes to make a donation of any kind, please contact Benita Cooper at benita@benitacooperdesign.com for more information.
