Ever wonder how much money the average student spends daily on food? Most drinks from Starbucks cost about $4, and go to fight morning drowse; a candy bar in between second and third period goes for $1; for lunch, many pay $1.75 for a cheese quesadilla and $.60 for canned soda off of John?s truck.

Although it is necessary for humans to eat and at times is seems absolutely necessary to intake caffeine, there must be a better way for students to spend their money. How about helping the human body battle something other than hunger? Or, even better, how about aiding the human body that is suffering from the destruction of a blood disease?

Members of the California Scholastic Federation [CSF] on campus, along with thousands of students from high schools across America, will join together to raise money for a School and Youth program, called Pennies for Patients, during the month of April.

All funds will go directly to victims of leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. Collection buckets will be distributed at lunch for those who would like to contribute.

?Most people won?t even miss the spare change they give,? Ellen King, CSF adviser, said. ?If everyone chipped in, we could potentially give a large amount to this good cause.?

A portion of the money collected will be donated to the child the campus CSF sponsors; the boy, Evan Whaley, is a ten year-old from Auberry who has suffered from leukemia since age five. Thankfully, because of effective treatment, Whaley?s case has gone into remission.

It appears that the efforts of the Pennies for Patients movement have paid off in a large-scale way.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma society reports that, in 1960, the survival rate for the most common form of childhood leukemia was only 4%. Today, the overall cure rate is at 81%.?

For more information on how to contribute to Pennies for Patients, contact King.

For more information on blood-related diseases or School and
Youth programs, visit the following websites:
www.leukemia.org and www.schoolandyouth.com.