PHOTO PROVIDED Ava Miller, a senior at Central Mountain High School, is pictured with representatives of UPMC’s Hillman Cancer Center after she delivered 250 care bags to the facility as part of her senior project.

WILLIAMSPORT — On Dec. 1, Central Mountain High School senior Ava Miller completed a deeply personal and impactful senior project, delivering 250 care bags to the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Williamsport.

The project was executed in loving memory of Ava’s three grandmothers–Sandy Cryder, Brenda Miller and Dee Mundrick–whose lives were affected by cancer. Driven by the desire to offer comfort to others facing similar journeys, Ava dedicated a significant amount of time to planning, coordinating donations and assembling each care package.

Each of the 250 thoughtfully packed bags was designed to provide moments of relief and distraction during treatments. The items included comfort essentials like soft cancer hats and fuzzy socks, as well as engaging materials such as crossword puzzle books, decks of cards and pens. To provide spiritual and physical comfort, the bags also contained daily devotionals and Bible bookmarks, lemon ginger tea bags, mints, snacks, water bottles, hand lotion and chapstick.

Her goal was to bring some joy and comfort to the patients during their treatment.

The success of the project was made possible through the generous support of friends and family, who contributed both monetary donations and physical items. Ava expressed gratitude to everyone who helped her bring this project to fruition, allowing her to make a meaningful contribution to the local patient community in honor of her grandmothers.