Contemplating the best way to increase student participation in raising money for Friends of Kids with Cancer, students throughout the district formulated plans for the inaugural Parkway Cash for Cancer week.
“Our goal was to earn the most money for Friends of Kids of Cancer,” senior Project Help member and district representative Jeanha Choi said. “We really wanted to have fun with it and gain a lot of student interaction. This was our first time, so we are adjusting it to make sure there was a foundation set for next year.”
With members of Project Help attending the district meeting at Parkway West, students decided that all donations during the week March 3 through 7 would be donated to Friends of Kids With Cancer.
“We wanted everyone in Parkway to get involved in the program,” senior ProjectHelp member and district representative Susanna Lei said. “The money is all going to be donated to a really good cause, and we hoped that would encourage involvement for all of the students.”
Along with Lei, Choi was also in charge of helping with the planning aspect. At the beginning, she took on the responsibility of creating greater student involvement in raising funds.
“I thought it was a really good opportunity for all of the schools to participate in one event,” Choi said. “I thought it would get a lot of attention and was a great way to get a lot of people involved.”
According to Ms. Laura Lukowski, English teacher and ProjectHelp sponsor, the leaders were looking for ways to raise donations from previous years.
“When we started thinking about the idea, our goal was to make it clear that we wanted the main focus to be on Friends of Kids With Cancer,” Lukowski said. “We really just wanted to raise more money than before.”
In order to meet this goal, the leaders created new ways for students to get excited about fundraising. According to Choi, one of the most memorable events was the raffle to “pie a teacher.”
“My favorite part was seeing how excited people were to participate,” Choi said. “It was pretty cool how excited they were to both give money to the cause and have the opportunity to ‘pie a teacher.’”
Following years of events such as Hats On Day, a connection with Friends of Kids With Cancer has been long established. This year the school donated $745.80 to the organization.
“Parkway Central is always so generous when it comes to giving,” Lukowski said. “We thought that this interaction with the other schools would only enhance the amount of donations.”
Ultimately, the district will hand over a check for $2,491.20 to Friends of Kids with Cancer. According to Lei, the week was an eye-opening opportunity and an example of students making a difference in the world.
“At first, I just did it because of ProjectHelp, but then I really started to think about it more,” Lei said. “I thought about those little kids that have cancer and can’t do anything about it. The idea that we can really make a difference in their life is really heart-warming.”