When Nicolas and Kelly Boscia’s first child was embarking on toddlerhood, the family found themselves at Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center facing the terrifying prospect that their little girl might have a life-threatening condition.
Thankfully she didn’t, but the experience made a profound impression on the Boscias. “We sat in the waiting room with parents who had children with serious medical conditions and/or cancer,” Nic says. “Knowing some children had the possibility of not making it out of the hospital was a heart-wrenching experience for us.”
Nic made a promise to himself—and to sick children and their families—that he would find a way to give back. In the decade since he and his wife faced a potentially terrible diagnosis, Nic joined the board of the Children’s Hospital and the couple has been making donations and raising funds for the Children’s Hospital, sometimes modestly and sometimes with spectacular results.
“Many people don't realize the support and funds needed to sustain these programs, which make a world of difference to the sick children and their families,” Nic says. “I will continue to support anything and everything that benefits the children while they battle through some of the most horrific times of their lives.”
Nic and Kelly’s earliest donations supported the purchase of multiple iPads and musical instruments for the children to use while getting treatment at the hospital. The couple helped the foundation create multiple fundraising events, including a holiday bash that Nic emceed, which raised a quarter of a million dollars in 45 minutes. When the Thumbies program, which provides fingerprint memorial necklaces to parents who lose children, was in danger of being discontinued due to lack of funds, they stepped in to save the program with multiple donations. They also recently helped sustain a counseling support program for individuals and families following the death of a child. Most recently, Nic’s company has made an impactful grant that will support bereavement programs and services at the Children’s Hospital.
The Boscias are also thinking ahead, putting in place a means to support sick children and their families long-term by creating an insurance policy that will grow in value over time.
“We are extremely grateful to the Boscias for their many years of generous support of Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital,” says Jacqueline Bartley, J.D., Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation’s vice president of gift planning. “Their recent gift of contributing an insurance policy naming Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital the owner and beneficiary will positively impact our work and mission for many years to come, and we are honored to celebrate this wonderful gift with them.”
Hackensack Meridian Health recently thanked Nic and Kelly for their generosity by dedicating a plaque to them at the Children’s Hospital. “It’s an honor that is humbling,” Nic says. “I support the Children’s Hospital because it comes from my heart, not because I want something from it. It's about our children. I don't think any child should ever have to suffer, but unfortunately sometimes they do. My passion is to do everything I can do to make their lives easier during their stay at the hospital. That’s what our children deserve—love.”
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