You may have heard or seen, due to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, that Marywood University established a Love Your Melon Campus Crew last semster! The goal of LYM is to put a hat on every child suffering from childhood cancer. According the Love Your Melon website, “Love Your Melon is an apparel brand dedicated to giving a hat to every child battling cancer in America as well as supporting nonprofit organizations who lead the fight against pediatric cancer.” To date, Love Your Melon has donated over 2.5 million dollars and over 90,000 hats to children with cancer.
Two best friends, Zach and Brian, established love Your Melon in 2012 for a class the two were taking at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Thank you Zach and Brian for reminding us that we all have the ability to make a difference.) The original goal of LYM was to donate 45,000 hats, one for each child battling cancer in the U.S, having already surpassed that goal, LYM continues to set new goals for itself and its crews!
I caught up with the Captain and Founder of the Marywood Love Your Melon Campus Crew, Emily Hulse, and asked her about her reasoning behind starting the crew. Emily said, “basically I started Marywood’s LYM chapter because, as a transfer, I wanted to experience an organization I had grown to love at my old school for my new students and peers. LYM had made me feel incredibly important and valued previously, and I wanted to create that same environment within the Scranton community as well.” The crew officially has 20 members, who have all joined for different reasons but with a common goal, to battle pediatric cancer.
In LYM’s first semester at Marywood, the crew made amazing progress. The crew hosted card-making service events for local children’s hospitals while also making baskets for local organizations in need of donations. The crew has many exciting events planned for this semester, including tie-dying events, more service opportunities, and even some raffles for LYM apparel! To learn more about the crew, head over to facebook and join the group Marywood University Love Your Melon Campus Crew or follow @lym_Marywood on instagram or twitter!
So, here’s what I ask of you, people of Marywood! Check out the LYM website (www.loveyourmelon.com) and if you decide to purchase anything make sure to check off Marywood University at checkout! By doing this, Marywood’s crew gets credits. The more credits they have, the more progress they make and the more they grow as a crew!