Key Club’s annual Pennies For Patients Drive supports the people suffering from Leukemia and Lymphoma. This type of cancer affects the bone marrow along with other parts of the lymphatic system in the human body.  It is a type of cancer that strikes children from the ages 0-19 and causes 33 percent of deaths in children between ages of 0-14.
Every day 129 Americans are diagnosed with leukemia and 60 lose the fight. Every day 216 Americans are diagnosed with lymphoma and 55 lose the fight. Based on those facts alone, the Pennies for Patients Drive is a worthy cause to fight this disease and raise awareness for people to think about and donate to as much as possible.
Cathedral Prep has turned Pennies for Patients into a tradition. Before Mr. Parsons was put in charge of this event, Mrs. Slaby was the one taking care of the event. “I hope to continue the dedication Mrs. Slaby has put forth into this cause,” Mr. Parsons said.
The process is simple and effective. Each classroom in the building gets a white container with the teacher’s name on it, and students are urged to donate any spare change they may have. According to Mr. Parsons, there have been more donations recently than in the past. He is hoping that this will continue so that the school can continue to support the cause.
Obviously, this task is too much for only one teacher to manage. So, Mr. Parsons got his Key Club members to help him out. They do anything that ranges from spreading the word to helping get more donations. As we have seen in the past years, the Key Club deserves recognition for all their efforts for fundraising a lot of money, and the Pennies for Patients Drive is one of them.
Due to the generosity of the entire student body of Cathedral Prep, the school has actually been named a life saving school. The school is always at the top of the state in terms of donations, and it actually helped the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to make “concrete steps,” according to Mr. Parsons, to cure the disease.
Proud of the progress made, Mr. Parsons hopes to keep helping the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for as much as they need. In the future, he hopes that the disease will be cured. It has affected the lives of many, including those who are dear to a lot of people at Cathedral Prep. “We need to see more birthdays than funerals,” said Mr. Parsons.