Lake Catholic High School, led by its cheerleading team, raised more than $4,400 to use for donations that the team delivered Oct. 16 to University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital’s Angie Fowler Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Institute.
“As a proud graduate of Lake Catholic High School, it is heartwarming to see the generous spirit of students working together to give back to the patients and families we care for at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital,” said Dr. Marlene R. Miller, pediatrician-in-chief, and Marsha L. Antonucci Distinguished Chair of Pediatrics at UH Rainbow. Miller is a 1983 Lake Catholic graduate.
Carla Ronnebaum, the school’s director of advancement and a 2000 graduate, was affected by childhood cancer when her daughter Clare was diagnosed with brain cancer five years ago. The Ronnebaums were the catalyst for the cheerleaders’ campaign, which started in September, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
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Ronnebaum asked that the school not raise money for her or her family. So instead, all the money collected was used to purchase toys, puzzles, Play-Doh, coloring books, crayons and many other things that will make hospital visits and treatments for her daughter and other children a little easier.
“I always tell people how incredible Lake Catholic is, but this community has blown me away with their outpouring of support for children, just like my daughter, facing cancer,” Ronnebaum said. “I am filled with gratitude to the cheerleaders who are bringing light into a dark situation. The crafts and toys my daughter plays with when visiting Rainbow Babies & Children Hospital bring her so much joy. And now hundreds more children will get to experience this same joy because of the generosity of the Lake Catholic community.”
The fundraising started Sept. 22 at Lake Catholic’s homecoming football game, where the cheerleaders collected donations at the alumni tailgate, at the stadium entrance. They also walked through the stands talking with fans.
During the Sept. 26 home volleyball match against Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin and the home soccer match against Walsh Jesuit High School, donations also were accepted. The Lake Catholic volleyball team skipped its usual 50/50 drawing, and instead asked that everyone donate to the cause.
“Collecting money was so amazing to see how many people were willing to donate and how excited they were,” said Lake Catholic senior cheerleader Emily Aliff. “They kept thanking us for doing this. It was so nice to see everyone rally around and be so happy and excited about something.”
The Lake Catholic student body, faculty and staff also contributed more than $800 in early October.
“We want to make it as big as possible to help all the kids,” said Izzy Trem, a Lake Catholic junior cheerleader. “We want to make it an annual thing, raise even more money next year and bring the toys to the kids again. Hopefully it’ll help them have a positive attitude going into their treatments because they have something to look forward to instead of it being such a negative place for them.”