Over the summer, seniors Catalina Abboud and Stephy Dai launched their own passion project, Arthrelief. Dai describes Arthrelief as a community organization "dedicated to providing care packages which aid in relieving arthritis pain in elders.

Through this initiative, Abboud and Dai aim to bring comfort and support to seniors living with chronic pain.

Arthritis, or the swelling of joints, is a disease that causes pain and stiffness in the body. According to the CDC, 54% of adults 75 and older are affected by arthritis in the U.S.

Motivated by loved ones affected by arthritis, Abboud and Dai have the mission to relieve: they seek to make everyday tasks easier through their specialized care packages. Each package contains anti-inflammatory gel, no-tie shoelaces, heat packs, and acupressure balls.

Arthrelief is currently partnering with Standish Village, an assisted living community in Lower Mills, to donate an initial 25 care packages to residents. Abboud and Dai hope to eventually expand across the Boston area, with a particular interest in supporting lower-income retirement homes.

With each care package costing about $26, Abboud and Dai have been working on ways to fundraise their project. From September 16 to September 25, the organization held a raffle to raise money for the care baskets. Local businesses like Steele and Rye and the Icecream Smith donated gift cards for the raffle. With the support of our community, Arthrelief raised close to 600 dollars in donations.

As a way to raise both awareness and funds, Abboud wrote and illustrated a children's picture book, "Daisy's Quest: The Tale of The Strawberry Jam Dilemma." The story follows Daisy, a young kitten on a mission to help her grandmother, who is living with arthritis. Through science and perseverance, Daisy is able to help her grandmother accomplish even the hardest tasks–like opening a strawberry jam jar.

"I wanted children to learn about the importance of helping the elderly because they have done so much for us," explained Abboud. In addition to inspiring children to help those around them, she hopes to teach them the value and importance of science.

Like Daisy, Abboud and Dai hope to use science and research to help others. "We want to see some impact in community homes," Dai explained. "Even if it's someone telling us 'this helped make my life easier.'"

The founders of Arthrelief hope to inspire other students to start projects of their own. In Dai's words, "I think this could inspire other people to create something to help others."

Abboud and Dai hope to continue fundraising, so if helping them assemble care packages interests you, contact the organization on their Instagram page @arthrelief.