This week, HerCampus met up with Lizzie Choy, a junior involved in the organization Love Your Melon!
HerCampus: What is Love Your Melon?
Lizzie Choy: Love Your Melon is a nonprofit that was started by two college students in Minnesota with the simple mission of fighting pediatric cancer. They came up with the business model where for every hat sold, one is donated, and half of the profit from the hat goes directly to organizations researching pediatric cancer, and to assist families of kids with cancer. So of the $30 that the beanies cost, $15 goes towards making the beanie, and the other $15 goes right back into the community! There are crews on college campuses, with about 20 members per crew, and you promote Love Your Melon through social media. At check out, people you referred will “credit their crew” by selecting your crew off of a list of crews nationwide. The crew collects credits and then after a certain amount of credits, you get fun things. I think when we got 100 credits, we got a box of promotional stuff. After 150 credits, you have the opportunity to do what are called superhero visits, where you visit a child in your area undergoing cancer treatment and you go do arts and crafts or have a little party.
HC: How did you get involved in Love Your Melon?
LC: It was during midterms last year, and I was sitting on the floor of our library and our crew captain came up to me told me she was starting a crew for LYM, and as soon as she said pediatric cancer, I was like “What, yes, I’m in!” because over the summer I interned at a fundraising and awareness organization that works with St. Jude. Fighting pediatric cancer just sort of became my cause, and I always want to be involved in things that work toward that cause.
HC: Why, in your opinion, is LYM an important organization?
LC: I guess to quote Danny Thomas, the comedian who founded St. Jude, “No child should die in the dawn of life.” I just don’t want to see children die. The fact that Love Your Melon donates to research foundations, but also donates to the families is important, because cancer is so much more than the illness. You have the radiation, the chemo, and that’s not easy or inexpensive.
HC: What other activities are you involved in at Rhodes?
LC: I am a Rhodes College diplomat, and I’m on steering committee for that. I’m also a peer assistant, a student associate in communications, and I’m in the Kappa Delta sorority, and I’m on the Panhellenic Executive Council for that.