Parkside students are taking cancer fight to the streets

Members of "Lots In One," a Westlake Relay For Life team, carry signs advertising their June 1 garage sale. Pictured, from left, are: (back row) Sarah Drago, Akshyasri Dhinakaran, Talya Jeter, Talia Zheng; (front) Mia Jeter, Rayna Jeter. Photo by Heather Drago

"Lots In One," a Westlake Relay For Life team comprised of fifth- and sixth-graders from Parkside Intermediate School, is working hard to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The group of 11- and 12-year-olds will walk in Westlake’s Memorial Day Parade on May 27, hold a major fundraiser on June 1 and participate in Westlake’s Relay For Life event on July 13 at the Westlake Recreation Center.

The Lots In One kids have set a big goal for themselves, a whopping $5,000. They’re hoping that funds from the sale, participation at the Relay event in July, and direct donations to their team’s Relay web page will help them meet this challenge. In addition, the group creates and sells hand-made items, such as friendship bracelets and duct tape crafts to fellow students and others in the community.

The team’s first major fundraising event, a “garage” sale, will be held June 1, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Fraternal Order of Police Hall (FOP Lodge 25), 26145 Center Ridge Road in Westlake.

The Lots In One kids are asking the community to donate “stuff” to sell, particularly housewares and other big-ticket items. The group, parent advisors and volunteers from Westlake High School, will be on site at the FOP Hall on Friday, May 31, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., to receive these donations and set up the sale. All proceeds from the sale will benefit the American Cancer Society. Items not sold will be donated to charity at the conclusion of the sale.

“Being able to do such a big thing and having the opportunity to do it with my friends is an amazing experience,” says sixth-grade team captain Talya Jeter.

The group has decided to get the word out about the sale, literally taking their message to the street, by walking in the upcoming Memorial Day parade on May 27. Westlake’s Relay For Life organizers have offered their support and are lending the student team an official Relay banner to carry and trademark Relay purple balloons to hand out during the parade.

The students are dedicated to the cause and have shown conviction and a willingness to give up their free time to help others. They organized the group and came up with this fundraising project themselves. It has been a great learning experience for them.

“These young people have decided to walk and support the cause so that others younger than them might not face what they've seen," said Rick Grane, Kiwanis Memorial Day Parade organizer and Relay For Life co-chair. "All of Westlake should be proud of the way these kids have taken up the baton to work for the cure.”

The Lots In One team, originally formed in 2012, began as an experiment in entrepreneurship. Talya and her friends began crafting string bracelets and duct tape accessories that quickly became hot commodities at Parkside. When the school’s office staff got wind of the budding business, they advised the students that while items could not be sold for profit on school property, it would be appropriate to sell things for donations to a worthy cause. Within the group, several had lost relatives to cancer or had a loved one fighting cancer at that moment, and so they decided to donate their proceeds to Relay for Life. Their first effort, selling hand-crafted bracelets at the Westlake Recreation Center, resulted in raising $50. They also participated in last summer’s Relay For Life overnight event.

The team’s name comes from the fact that they do lots of things together to raise money and that the group is made up of lots of kids all working towards one goal: raising money to help fight and cure cancer.

Team member Sarah Drago says, “Helping people get more birthdays is important to me. I lost two family members because of cancer and I don’t want anyone else to go through that.”

The kids invite other Westlake students to join Lots In One. While their group currently consists almost entirely of fifth- and sixth-graders, students of all ages are welcome. Information about the group’s activities and how to join can be found on their website: www.lotsinone.org.