Love Your Melon is new to the University of Wyoming.
UW student and now club president Zoe Hendricks started the recognized student organization (RSO) this school year to support the LYM Fund, an initiative by a company that makes apparel for children with cancer, by selling beanies, hats and other items. Half of profits go into the fund, which supports a variety of nonprofit partners that are centered into raising awareness of education and help to those in the pediatric cancer fields.
Hendricks built the first LYM “campus crew,” as the company calls them, in Wyoming. The group already has 18 members after only one year of being an RSO.
“What we do as a crew, [we] not only support this fund, but we do volunteer service within the community,” said Hendricks.
Laramie Middle School will be promoting LYM during their Hapi-ness 5k race on May 11, which will raise funds for a student at the school who has cancer. LYM members will be there to support and participate in the race.
New as it is, LYM has not been able to host larger events except spreading education throughout the campus and some local volunteering. However, Hendricks does have some bigger plans for next school year.
The group plans to go to the children’s hospital in Denver to deliver hats to kids and to visit the nearby Ronald McDonald Houses to cook meals for children.
The local LYM is also planning to host a Be The Match drive next year in order to find potential bone marrow matches to help those with leukemia. Be The Match is a partner organization that the larger company LYM supports and their purpose is to help find match donors through a swab test for bone marrow transplants for children with leukemia.
The club is able to support those children, Hendricks said, “through a variety of different things with actually getting involved with the kids and families, and reaching out and doing activities like that.”
There are campus crews for LYM all across the nation. Hendricks started Wyoming’s first and only crew, she said, because she believes in LYM’s mission.
“I’ve been just so encouraged by Love Your Melon and the amount of impact that they have,” said Hendricks.
LYM has given over $6.1 million to the fight against pediatric cancer and over 160,500 hats to children battling cancer.
“Love Your Melon has just been above and beyond with getting the kids out [of the hospital] and just like making them feel like superheros overcoming cancer, which is pretty cool,” said Hendricks.
Crews can only have a maximum of 30 members, but UW’s LYM club is looking for dedicated members now since it currently has only 18.
People can support LYM’s cause in other ways as well. Beanies, hats and other items are for sale at LoveYourMelon.com.
Those seeking more information about the club can contact the RSO through its Campus Connect page at UWyo.Campuslabs.com/engage/organization/lym-uwyo.
