Last spring, Sean McCann decided to raise money for the Scimeca family to help the family pay medical expenses for their son, Gavin, who was born with a rare genetic disorder – autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease.

Doctors said Gavin would need a kidney transplant, which can cost $500,000 or more.

Sean's father, Michael, is a River Vale police officer, as is Gavin's dad, Anthony. When Sean heard about the challenges the family was facing, he wanted to do something to help. As goalkeeper for the Park Ridge Owls soccer team, he'd made more than 100 saves in his junior year. With that in mind, he decided to start, "Saves for Gavin," collecting pledges for each save he made his senior year.

Sean had the support of his teammates, family friends and local businesses. And although his last high school soccer season has ended, he continues to receive support. Recently, the Park Ridge Rotary Club honored him, presenting him with their Community Service Award, and a grant of $250 in support of his efforts on behalf of the Scimeca family.

At the meeting, Sean told the Rotarians that he had hoped "Saves for Gavin" would raise, "a thousand dollars or so." He had made more than 100 saves during his junior year and thought if he could as well in his senior year, he Once the local media began publicizing his efforts, he got more support than he had ever expected, he said.

At last count, Sean's "Saves for Gavin" program has raised nearly $30,000 for the family. The funds are administered through the Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA), a nonprofit repository for donations that also assists families and volunteers with fund-raising campaigns. COTA's services are completely free of charge, and the funds generated by COTA campaigns are available for almost any transplant-related expense.

Donations for Gavin and his family may be mailed to the Children's Organ Transplant Association, 2501 West COTA Drive, Bloomington, Indiana, 47403. Checks or money orders should be made payable to COTA, with "In Honor of Gavin S." written on the memo line of the check. Secure credit card donations are also accepted online at cotaforgavins.com.

© 2012 North Jersey Media