KATY [December 6, 2019] – Recently, Katy Independent School District’s WoodCreek Junior High (WCJH) participated in the Pennies for Patients program and raised more than $8,600 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Over four days, the campus rallied behind the cause, helped promote community service, and is currently the top earning school in the LLS Texas Gulf Coast Region for the 2019-2020 school year. Since 2009, WCJH has raised over $68,000 for the organization.
The fundraiser is sponsored and led by eighth graders in the WCJH National Junior Honor Society (NJHS). They offer students the opportunity to “buy out” of their class on an early dismissal day by bringing in as many pennies as they can. If the classroom raises more than $20, they are eligible to opt out of normal class work and would instead hear from local cancer patients or do classroom activities from the program’s STEM curriculum. The NJHS students run and sponsor the fundraiser, which includes setup, posters, collecting and counting the money.
WCJH teachers and NJHS sponsors, Courtney Lewis and Kayleigh Covington, were in awe of this year’s campus support that rallied around the annual fundraiser.
“The WCJH campus is so fantastic to put the effort and excitement that they do into the program and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Every class gets into it, and it is a fun competition that also benefits a wonderful cause,” Lewis said.
In addition to school incentives, the LLS program does provide rewards for the top earning classes on each campus. The top class wins a catered Olive Garden lunch, the second wins a Domino’s pizza party, and third wins a popsicle party.
“It is incredible how much money we were able to raise! I am so proud of how giving our students are,” Dr. Melinda Stone, WCJH Principal, said. “It is a true testament to the collective support of our staff, parents and community.”
Pennies for Patients, a science-based service-learning program, connects schools with local blood cancer patients, provides tangible life skills to participants, a K-8 STEM curriculum, and allows students to see the impact they’re making in the lives of others. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. To learn more, visit the LLS Pennies for Patients website.