By Flynn Geraghty, executive features editor
For the last three years, Prospect’s Service Club has been supporting the nonprofit St. Baldricks for their March charity drive. However, while people were buying the shirts, only a handful of people were willing to cut off their hair.
“We wanted to do something different,” Service Club board member Faimy Saji said. “Last year, not a lot of people participated because, clearly, not everyone is able to shave their head.”
In order to solve this problem, Service Club leader Michelle Tantillo researched alternative nonprofits that also support curing childhood cancer. The board ended up selecting Alex’s Lemonade Stand to support this year. The organization was founded by Alex Scott, a young girl who raised over $1 million for cancer research before she passed away at the age of 8.
“I’m sure when a lot of us were little, we had lemonade stands,” Tantillo said. “Not to seem babyish or juvenile, but tapping into when we were younger, the idea of childhood brings us back to help children with cancer.”
While Tantillo was the one that founded this organization, it was Saji and the rest of the girls on the board that made the choice to support it.
“I thought it was a nice little way, a cute little way, [to promote curing] children’s cancer,” Saji said.
From Feb. 29 to March 4, members of service club will be selling lemonade in the commons. Students have the opportunity to purchase a plastic cup with the nonprofit’s logo printed on it for three dollars. For those not interested in lemonade, Service Club will also be selling lemon lollipops and coloring pages. There will also be donation collections during all seventh hour classes.
The members of Service Club encourage all Prospect staff and students to donate to the cause.
“I think people should donate because both sides get something out of it,” Saji said. “They get lemonade and the organization gets money. Every little donation does make a difference. It’s just buying lemonade. Anyone can do it.”