Collect for Cures is a program that provides high school students with leadership and teamwork skills, but more importantly raises money for blood cancer research. This program is led by a group called Student Series, and their mission is to end leukemia and lymphoma as well as provide a better quality of life to patients with leukemia and lymphoma. Students Series works with thousands of schools around the country to help them raise money for cancer research.

Yorktown will host a variety of events to help raise money for the Collect for Cures program. Leading these events will be a team of student leaders, including Graham Weinschenk and sophomore Sarah Murphy.

“Starting in mid-February and ending in late March, we will have several fundraisers a week to help collect money for Collect for a Cure,” Murphy said.

The Collect for Cures program is a great way to get involved and give back to the community. The money that is raised from Collect for Cures goes directly to cancer research programs.

“It’s wonderful for me and for the students that donate to know that the money is going to a great cause,” Weinschenk said.

As well as being a great cause, Collect for Cures also teaches students valuable lessons. Organizing events, communicating with other members of the program and making sure all aspects of the event are being looked after are all important skills that can be learned through the Collect for Cures program.

“We learn new skills like being able to put together fundraisers and events outside of school and also being able to reach out to outside organizations and learn to communicate with businesses that would like to be involved with the program,” Murphy said.

Many people know someone who has cancer, that is why Collect for Cures is so popular and affects so many on a personal level.

“I participate in Collect for Cures because my grandmother had breast cancer, my family lost a very close family friend to pancreatic cancer, and Henry Burneson, who was a Yorktown student, lost his life to cancer,” Weinschenk said.

Those who actively participate in the Collect for Cures program feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment because they are giving back in a positive way.

“My favorite part of Collect for Cures is being able to meet people in my community that share the same interests I do and working to accomplish something that has such a large and inspiring impact in our community,” Murphy said.

Being a part of Collect for Cures brings the school and community together. The more people that participate in the program the more efficient and successful the program can be.

“I 100% recommend that others participate. The more people, the more events, the more fundraisers we have the better. Collect for Cures is a fantastic cause and it would be great to see the entire school involved,” Weinschenk said.

It is important that students participate and donate in the Collect for Cures program to help reach the goal of $1200. Not only will that money go directly to cancer research programs, but it will help people with cancer fight, and live a normal life, after they have beaten the disease.