Students help battle childhood cancer

For most high school juniors and seniors getting up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning and traveling an hour or so to do volunteer work wouldn’t be at the top of their list for a fun weekend. However, several Devon Prep students did just that and found the experience very rewarding.

The four from the all-boys, Catholic, college prep school spent several hours on a recent Saturday at the Philadelphia Zoo working with the St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. They helped set up for the event putting together signs and tables, gave out various items to the runners and cheered on the participants.

The event, which included over 1,400 participants, raised $150,000 for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and their fight to change the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

All the Devon Prep students, seniors Grant Kowalewski of Downingtown, Thomas Hang of Malvern and Jack Marquis of Wayne and junior Brandon Hoang of Springfield, are members of the school’s Christian Action Program (CAP) moderated by Liz Eshleman.

According to Marquis the early morning start was worth it. “I had a great time and we had a lot of fun,” the 12th-grader said. “It was great to see so many people come together for a good cause.”

“I’m so proud of these young men,” Elshleman added. “Most teens would skip this event when hearing the meeting time but these boys got here on time and gave it their all for six hours. They worked hard setting up for the event and cheered on the runners and walk-

ers. It was a fun time for a great cause.”

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas to find cures, through research and treatment, for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay.

Devon Prep’s Christian Action Program (CAP) is a service organization which includes nearly 50 middle and upper school students dedicated to caring for and helping those less

fortunate. Their activities include collecting food for neighborhood shelters and food cupboards, organizing clothing drives, sponsoring a Blood Drive for the American Red Cross and conducting fundraisers for several nonprofit organizations. Each year CAP also sponsors two all-night fundraisers on campus to benefit the St. Jude’s, raising an average of $30,000 annually for the fight against childhood cancer.

SUBMITTED PHOTOS Devon Preparatory School students spent a recent Saturday morning at the Philadelphia Zoo helping to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. They are, from left: seniors Grant Kowalewski of Downingtown and Thomas Hang of Malvern, junior...

Devon Prep senior Grant Kowalewski of Downingtown recently volunteered to help set up for the St. Jude Walk/ Run to End Childhood Cancer at the Philadelphia Zoo. The event raised more than $150,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.