QHS senior leads effort to give back to groups that supported him

Hunter plans to surprise the charities with the donations on his birthday, Aug. 29, as he heads to St. Louis to speak at a golf tournament supporting Project 55 alongside St. Louis Blues “super fan” Laila Anderson and foundation founder Blues defenseman Colton Parayko.

Donations will be accepted until August 25.

“The last time we went down to St. Louis to the Ronald McDonald House they didn’t really have anything. They were running out of stuff,” Hunter said. “I figured I could maybe get the community to give a few donations to help them out.”

The QHS marching band, color guard and pommers helped kick off the drive, donating items during this week’s band camp, and QHS students will have the opportunity to show their support for the causes when classes begin.

“The support I’ve been getting is really cool,” Hunter said.

Items being collected are hand soap, travel toiletries, hand sanitizer, paper towels, Clorox wipes, floor cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, air freshener, sweet/salty individually-wrapped snacks, shelf-stable microwavable lunch items, individual cereal cups, dishwater detergent, nonstick frying pans, foil, Ziploc bags, to-go meal containers, high-efficiency laundry detergent and softener sheets.

Hunter hopes the donations make a difference for others — just as the Ronald McDonald House and Project 55 made a difference for him and his family.

Hunter’s family has stayed in the house more times than they can count during his many hospital stays including two cardio-thoracic surgeries in the past six months, and it’s “provided a home away from home that has helped us be together during some challenging times,” Hunter said.

Project 55 works to provide financial and emotional relief to hospitalized children and their families and works with partners, including Ronald McDonald House, to create “meaningful opportunities” for kids to escape their stressors.

Hunter enjoyed a Project 55 Game Day Experience in March which included sitting in the penalty box to watch the Blues warm up, VIP all-inclusive seats, riding the Zamboni, meeting Parayko and getting an autographed jersey, puck and stick. Parayko stayed in contact with Hunter and his family, most recently inviting the teen to speak at his inaugural golf tournament slated for Meadowbrook Country Club.

The generosity of both organizations “changed my life and gave me a reason to fight to get well,” Hunter said, and with donations to the drive, “other kids can do this too.”

Karla Hildebrand, Hunter’s mom, said she’s “beyond proud” of his work to help others.

“Right after he was asked to speak, he came up with the idea of wanting to do this in conjunction. It’s going to be exciting,” Hildebrand said. “Colton is the ambassador for the Ronald McDonald House. They work hand in hand.”

Donations to the Ronald McDonald House haven’t rebounded since COVID-19, but the need remains. Families rely on pre-packaged options to take to the hospital or eat after returning from a patient visit, and other donated items stock the community kitchen and dining room, bathrooms and welcome bags.

Hunter also wants to stock a treasure chest, dubbed “Hunter’s Chest,” with small toys for kids at the house.

“People don’t realize there’s a lot of kids in the house,” Hildebrand said.

Some kids live in the house with their families, instead of being hospitalized, for testing or clinic treatments, and “in the summer months, there’s a lot of siblings there,” she said. “The kids are excited to look into the treasure chest and see what’s in there.”