The Smile for a Change Club, started by junior Ellery Denmark last March, hopes to involve staff and students in raising awareness for childhood cancer, with the main goal being to make sure that teens learn about the struggles that children with cancer face.
The club meets on Wednesdays before school in room 324. During meetings, members collaborate to come up with fundraisers, drives or other initiatives to promote awareness. Last year, they hosted a “Parents Night Out” at Simply Fit and Fun in Reading for elementary school children. All of the proceeds were donated directly to the Jimmy Fund. Denmark shared her reason behind starting the club stating, “I really like kids and like making them feel included. My neighbor also had childhood cancer, so the cause is close to me.”
Officer Matthew Vatcher, the School Resource Officer for the Reading elementary and middle schools and his comfort dog Rusty are also active members in the club. Officer Vatcher discussed why he wanted to participate. “Well, I know it’s for cancer, and I’ve known people with cancer, I’ve had skin cancer myself. And all the students that were in the club, I’ve known for a very long time, so I just wanted to help out.”
Currently, the club is collecting items for children who are patients at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute. A list of items to donate can be found here. . If you are interested in joining the club or want to drop off donations, stop by room 324.
