As the 2015-2016 school year draws to an end, I wanted to take a look back at a few of the students who I (and the members of HC Bentley) thought made a noticable difference on campus. While there are certainly plenty of guys and gals who made an impact at Bentley this year, the ones who stood out the most were actually the new comers at school this year. If you don’t yet own a Love Your Melon hat yourself, you’ve certainly seen them on top of heads (or should we say “melons”) all over campus. With a crew of 20 members during its inaugural year, Bentley’s Love Your Melon crew was brought to life and captained by four ladies: Katie Rama, Tori Hancock, Isabella Isotti and Kendal Pratt. Find out what they said were the highlights of the year, how things went for the crew, and what moments made it all worth it…
The year in numbers…
Total amount of hats sold: 782
Approximate money raised for Cure Search and The Pinky Swear Foundation: $23,460
Approximate hats donated to kids battling cancer: 175
HC: How did Love Your Melon get brought to Bentley originally, and what about LYM stuck out to you that made you want to pursue it so much?
Isabella: A friend of mine was an ambassador for LYM at her school. When one of my professors asked us to choose a non profit for our final marketing presentation it seemed like a no brainer. After learning more about the organization Katie and I decided we really wanted to become a part of it. So, in August 2015 we got together a crew of our best and brightest friends and started sharing LYM’s mission.
HC: What have been all of your personal favorite parts of being a LYM crew member this year?
Tori: Aside from obviously all the children we’ve gotten to help out, it was really awesome being a part of such a passionate crew. There aren’t a ton of opportunities to do work like this at Bentley let alone with your friends. So not only did we do good for the community but we had fun doing it.
Kendal: My favorite part by far is the connection I made with Livy’s family. I was only with them for an hour, but they were so grateful and welcoming that I feel like I’ve known them my entire life. When Livy was going through a tough time and her mom, Christine, was struggling to balance everything on her plate, I offered to help drive the carpool or babysit the other kids. It’s awesome that a connection like that can be built after only an hour together. I’m thankful for LYM for facilitating that.
Katie: For me, it’s watching the children’s faces light up when we walk into their hospital rooms in silly costumes. The parents are always so grateful to take a minute away from treatment just to laugh and smile. While these children are fighting a really tough battle, you can’t forget they are just normal kids who want to goof around. I am happy that I am able to be a part of an organization that brings this kind of joy to those who deserve it the most.
Isabella: My favorite part of being a crew member was the organization itself. It was incredible to be surrounded by 2,000 other college students who are so giving and compassionate. While we were making a difference in our local community, Love Your Melon was sweeping the nation. This year they donated over 50,000 hats and they donated over one million dollars to pediatric cancer research and support to the children and their families.
HC: What were all of your favorite memories from hospital or home visits?
Tori: The best part for me was doing different visits and getting to more shy kids to open up. Some of them would hide behind their parents legs or not look up, but once you could get through to them, the smiles and laughs were priceless.
Kendal: I loved interacting with the siblings. When young kids have a brother or sister who is sick, they often get less attention and can feel neglected. It was great to be able to bring them hats and cards and make them feel equally as included.
Katie: Our first visit with Tommy at Boston Children’s was really special to me. So far, we had just been selling hats and doing promotional activities, but this visit showed our crew the real difference we were making.
Isabella: My favorite memory was from our visit with Tommy. After we left his mom asked how he was feeling. He said he said he wasn’t feeling well all morning but he was having too much fun to notice. It meant so much to me that we could put a smile on his face for a few hours.
HC: What were the most rewarding parts for you all individually? Any highlights from the year that stick out?
Tori: Looking back at the recap to see that we really did make a difference was incredible. We knew we were doing good, but to look back to see where we’ve come from a brand new crew with no idea what we were doing to one of the top in the Northeast is really cool.
Kendal: The most rewarding part for me is walking around campus and seeing random strangers wearing LYM gear. It’s nice to know that they donated money to such a worthwhile cause and wouldn’t have been able to had we not introduced it to the campus.
Katie: Meeting our new crew the other night was a bittersweet moment. While it was tough to let go of an organization that we built from the ground up, their enthusiasm made me excited for the future of Bentley LYM.
Isabella: Being a part of LYM gave me a new perspective on life and I am forever thankful for that. This organization is so much more than just selling a few hats. We often become so busy with our own lives that we forget how truly lucky we are and the struggles that people face every day.
HC: We all know the kids loved the visits, but what were some of the reactions you all got from parents, nurses, doctors, etc.
Tori: It was always kind of funny to interact with the parents and nurses because they always made such a huge deal about how great this thing was that we were doing, but for us we weren’t doing anything compared to them. I guess it goes to show that every little thing helps these families and anything that can get their mind off what is going on and make them smile is huge.
Katie: Nurses would often ask us if we were studying medicine, and they were shocked to hear we were actually business students! That’s one of the greatest parts about LYM; it’s a universal cause that students around the nation, of all different majors and backgrounds, can get involved in and make a real difference when we come together.
Isabella: The parents were so thankful for us coming in and cheering up their children. It was great to take the stress off of them for a few hours and play with the kids. It is incredible to see the lengths the parents go through every day for their children, they are the real superheroes.
HC: In what ways were you able to engage the Bentley community with LYM’s mission?
Kendal: I think the biggest way was through hosting MelonFest. It was great to see all of our friends compete and buy raffle tickets to support us. The event was so fun and I hope that the crew can continue to grow it next year to engage even more students.
Tori: Melonfest was definitely the biggest. Also the little things like having tables at sports games or seasons, slipping flyers under doors, and chalking. Our card making events were great too because we would bring them to our visits, this was a way to get the whole community involved in our mission, not just our crew.
Isabella: We were so excited to hold a sales event this semester. It was overwhelming to see the support of the Bentley Community. We sold 75 hats in 2 hours. And we sold even more hats online that day!
HC: Last but not least, what would you say to someone at a different school that might be thinking about starting up a LYM crew? Anything in particular they should know before hand?
Kendal: There is no wrong way to raise money for cancer. Ideas can seem crazy at first but putting the effort in and following through with your initial thoughts can result in massive successes. That’s exactly what happened with MelonFest.
Tori: We went in knowing absolutely nothing, we pretty much just winged it. As long as you have a crew full of passionate individuals you’re going to be successful. Love Your Melon is an organization that anyone can get behind, you just need the right people to get it out there. It can be stressful at times and time consuming at others but it is so worth it.
Katie: Do it! If you’re looking to get involved in something truly rewarding, LYM is a great place to dedicate your efforts. While it’s important to get good grades and work a bunch of internships, don’t lose sight of how important it is to give back to others.
Isabella: I’d say to go for it. We decided we wanted to give back our senior year and thought Love Your Melon would be the perfect way to do so. Whether it is LYM or another community service project, take time to give back. It is more rewarding than you could ever imagine.
If you haven’t yet ordered a Love Your Melon hat or would like to order another (t-shirts, koozies, mugs and more available now too!) just check out www.loveyourmelon.com and don’t forget to check “Bentley University” at checkout!