Throngs of students make their way from the main building at Landrum Middle School out onto the fields behind the school. Dressed in T-shirts of all different colors, the students leisurely walk around the track. It seems like a normal, after lunch activity. But these students are walking to make a difference. To make an impact. The walking that these students do will have an effect on cancer.
Last week’s Day of Thanksgiving and Remembrance was the brainchild of dean Sherri Anthony. She said as a dean she deals a lot with the negative side of the students.
"I wanted to make a positive impact with these kids," Anthony said. "What started as a memorial to my parents turned into a blessing for these kids."
Anthony started the IMPACT club at Landrum in September. The club’s purpose is to inspire kids to make an impact on their community. Anthony lost both of her parents to cancer and said every year her family does something on the anniversary of her mother’s passing. This year, she decided to include Landrum students in the process.
"The kids are so inspirational to me," she said. "It’s awesome."
The club’s first event last week raised over $9,800 which was donated to five different charities. Each student was asked to donate $10 and they received a T-shirt in the corresponding color to the charity they wanted the money donated to. The American Cancer Society’s shirts were red, the Donna Hicken Foundation’s shirts were pink, the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation shirts were green, the Community Hospice of NE Florida Pediatric Care shirts were lavender and the Child Cancer Fund shirts were blue.
Stakes were placed around the entire track with names printed on each of them. Names in red indicated people who had died of cancer and names in blue indicated people who were currently suffering or were survivors. Hundreds of stakes were on the field.
"This is the nucleus of kids who can bring the idea to the whole school," said Anthony. "We consider the whole school to be an IMPACT team. We are just the middle of that team."
Anthony said the community response was great and the club received donations from Publix, Home Depot and Winn Dixie. She said club members will meet again in the coming weeks to discuss their next event. On the horizon is a Christmas event and possibly one for Valentine’s Day as well.
"We are hoping that next year the word will get out to the community even more," she said.
