On Friday, fourth grader Lily McQuillan of Thomas Johnson Elementary Middle School (TJEMS) organized a fundraiser and awareness event supporting pancreatic cancer research after her grandmother, Gail, was recently diagnosed with the disease.
McQuillan first brought the idea to TJEMS Assistant Principal Katie Scotti who encouraged her to develop a formal proposal outlining dates and logistics for the event. McQuillan then assembled a planning team that included fellow students Evelyn Carper, Eila Benkassem, and Tessa Urbonowicz.
The fundraiser took the form of an “out of uniform day,” with students who wore purple receiving pancreatic cancer awareness bracelets. The students also created origami gifts for participants and, with help from TJEMS Gifted and Advanced Learning teacher Ms. Labar, developed a PowerPoint presentation to educate classmates about pancreatic cancer.
Julie Carper, mother of Evelyn Carper, assisted with coordinating the event’s logistics, while Scotti helped finalize the plans and promote the fundraiser within the school community.
As the students searched for a charitable organization to support, they discovered the FCSP (Fight Cancer and Stay Positive). The foundation was established in honor of Geoff Shudtz, brother of TJEMS parent and soccer coach Matt Shudtz and uncle to TJEMS students Kevin and Brendan Shudtz. McQuillan was excited to use the fundraiser to encourage donations to FCSP in support of the Shudtz family.
Hundreds of TJEMS students participated by wearing purple on Friday, and drone photos of the event were captured by TJEMS parent Sean Monahan. The fundraiser raised more than $500 for FCSP.
FCSP hosts “Dunk-a-thon” fundraising events across the country and has awarded $960,000 in grants to pancreatic cancer researchers. The organization’s next Dunk-a-thon is scheduled for Sunday, June 7 from 12pm to 4pm at Hopkins Farm Brewery.
Photos courtesy of Thomas Johnson Elementary Middle School
Photo Courtesy of Sean Monahan
