Erin Pedrini
Web Production Assistant

Nine-year-old Morristown resident Cooper Weil was diagnosed with a neurological virus five years ago and could not walk. The PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick helped teach Cooper how to walk again and get back her fine motor skills. Cooper and her family and friends are now fundraising for the hospital that helped her by selling hand-made bracelets.

“Ever since then, my family has been fundraising for the hospital and trying to raise money for the children that are still there,” said Cooper’s mother Jennifer Weil.

Cooper, her sister Emma Weil and her two friends, Sophia Scordley and Alli Simon, came up with the idea of selling bracelets to raise money for the hospital. The bracelets are called Wrapped in Hope.

“We are selling bracelets because we are trying to make more money to give to Children’s Specialized Hospital so that the kids who go there will have more rooms and more help,” said Cooper.

The girls said that they help their moms make the bracelets. Emma said that the girls chose to sell bracelets because people like to wear accessories and Sophia added the bracelets are really comfortable and easy to wear.

The bracelets come in different colored bands that wrap around the wrist and have a “Super Cooper” SC charm attached.

“We looked at other bracelets that we already had and found a way to make them simple and easy but still look nice,” said Alli.

“It’s fun to make the bracelets and it’s fun to wear them because you can have them in all different colors and you can buy more and more to make a chain of bracelets on your arms,” said Sophia.

The bracelets wrap around the arm and that is part of the reason Cooper said the name Wrapped in Hope was chosen. Emma added part of the reason for the name is that, “The hospital has hope for the children who are there and hope to get them better.”

Jennifer said that the support from the community has been wonderful and selling the bracelets has been very successful so far.

“Everyone is wearing the bracelets at the girls’ school and the girls are going to be really proud to hand that check in to the hospital at the end of the Walk n’ Roll,” said Jennifer.

So far, Jennifer said that they have sold 150 to 200 bracelets. The bracelets are being sold at Cooper’s school, Far Hills Country Day School, as well as Morris Town-Beard High School, the Grace Church School in New York City, Annie’s Play House, the Studio Gym, Euban Cottage in Peapack and Open Road BMW. Cooper’s Girl Scouts Troop will also be selling the bracelets outside of the King’s in Bernardsville on May 10. The bracelets will also be sold at two upcoming events to raise money for the hospital — a Jim Breuer comedy event and Children’s Specialized Hospital’s Eighth Walk n’ Roll.

Cooper’s team — Team Super Cooper — will be participating in the Walk n’ Roll on Saturday, May 17 at Johnson Park in Middlesex County. Team Super Cooper is raising money for the event with the bracelet sales, as well as the proceeds from the upcoming comedy event.

Family friend to the Weils, comedian Jim Breur, will be performing his comedy act at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick on Wednesday, April 23. Jennifer said that this is the second year that they are doing a comedy event for Team Super Cooper and last year it was very successful. She said that everyone that came out last year said that it was nice to get out for a night and laugh.

Doors will open for the Jim Breur event at 6 p.m. and dinner and raffles will go from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The show will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $55 per person and $75 per person to add a meet-and-greet with Breur. Tickets can be purchased here. Register for Walk n’ Roll here.