Main Line Students Help Fight Childhood Cancer

DEVON, Pa. - Oct. 11, 2015 - PRLog -- For most high school juniors and seniors getting up at 6 AM on a Saturday morning and traveling an hour or so to do volunteer work wouldn’t be at the top of their list for a fun weekend. However, several Devon Prep juniors and seniors did just that and found the experience very rewarding.

Eight students from the all-boys, Catholic, Main Line college prep school spent six hours on a recent Saturday at the Philadelphia Zoo helping with the St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. They helped set up for the event putting together tents and signs, gave out water to the runners and cheered on the participants as they passed by.

The event, which included over 1400 participants, raised $130,000 for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and their fight to change the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

All the Devon Prep students, Seniors Keane White of Havertown, Matt Kelly of Exton, Joe Conroy of Media, Harpreet Cheema of Upper Darby, Sean McGeehan of King of Prussia and Juniors Thomas Hang of Malvern, Luke Farnsworth of Royersford and Jack Marquis of Wayne are members of the school’s Christian Action Program (CAP) moderated by Mrs. Liz Eshleman.

According to Marquis the early morning start was worth it. “I had a great time and we had a lot of fun,” the eleventh grader said. “It was great to see so many people come together for a good cause.

"I'm so proud of these young men,” Elshleman added.  “Most teens would skip this event when hearing the meeting time but these boys got here on time and gave it their all for six hours!  They worked hard setting up for the event and cheered on every runner and walker.  It was a fun time for a great cause."

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (http://www.stjude.org/) was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas to find cures, through research and treatment, for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. On average 5,700 active patients visit the hospital each year, most of who are treated on an outpatient basis. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance.  No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay.

Devon Prep’s Christian Action Program (CAP) is a service organization which includes nearly 50 middle and upper school students dedicated to caring for and helping those less fortunate. Their activities include collecting food for neighborhood shelters and food cupboards, organizing clothing drives, sponsoring a Blood Drive for the American Red Cross and conducting fund raisers for several non-profit organizations. Each year CAP also sponsors two all-night fundraisers on campus to benefit the St. Jude’s, raising an average of $30,000 annually for the fight against childhood cancer.

Devon Prep is a private, Catholic college preparatory school for young men in grades six through 12, conducted by the Piarist Fathers and located on the Main Line. For more information call 610-688-7337 or visit www.devonprep.com or www.facebook.com/devonprep.