Maggie Smith, Staff Writer
College students have a lot on their plates from classes and meetings to internships and jobs, therefore time management is an essential skill. Any college student will attest to how stressful their busy and hectic schedules can be.
However, college students across the country are willing to add more to their plates and are joining the organization, Love Your Melon. So why does everyone want to join this organization?
Love Your Melon is an apparel brand dedicated to donating a hat to every child battling cancer, as well as supporting nonprofit organization’s who lead the fight against pediatric cancer.
Love Your Melon was founded by two friends, Zach and Brian, at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Zach and Brian began the organization in an entrepreneurship class, their mission was to improve lives of children battling cancer.
They began their mission in October of 2012, and the organization has since expanded. Their initial goal of the organization was to give away a hat to almost every child in America battling cancer. They did indeed achieve that goal. They have now set a new goal of giving one million dollars to pediatric cancer research.
You’ve probably seen many college students wearing beanies with the Love Your Melon logo on it, or may have even read about it on social media from someone who is a member. This is because Love Your Melon has hundreds of “campus crews” across the United States which help them spread the mission.
The crew members tell others about their cause and also organize events on their campus as well as visit kids with cancer. There are 840 campus crews and 13,500 campus crew members from all 50 states.
Taylor Powell, a sophomore at Wingate University, joined the organization after learning about campus crews on other college campuses. She joined and started a campus crew at Wingate.“I love knowing that I can help those in need. Even if it’s just bringing a smile to their face for a few minutes,” said Taylor, “These kids are going through more than I could ever imagine, and I want them to know that there’s someone in their corner pulling for them.”
Taylor is the captain of the campus crew at Wingate University. She said the campus crew at Wingate also has a vice crew captain, a public relations manager, and a secretary.
Taylor said the crew is limited to 20 spots right now, and has an ongoing wait-list, but encourages anyone who is interested in joining to sign up. “I would tell anyone who has a heart for others to sign up for our wait-list, because this organization has truly changed my life for the better” said Taylor.
If you’re a student at Wingate University and want to contribute to your campus crew’s story you can do so at www.loveyourmelon.com by choosing Wingate University at the checkout. 50% of the profit from purchases goes to the campus crew’s nonprofit partners who help in the fight against cancer. The organization also sells other apparel besides beanies on their website.
If you attend college elsewhere and are interested in joining Love Your Melon, you can look into whether you campus has a campus crew. If your campus does not, you can start a campus crew on your own campus like Taylor.
You do not have to be a college student to help with this organization. Anyone of any age can help contribute to this organization by buying apparel on the website and advocating the organization.
Edited by: Brea Childs
Wingate Triangle 