This September marks the 24th year of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a time when communities all over the U.S. advocate to find a cure for the heartbreaking illness. In schools nationwide, clubs spend the month educating their peers, teachers and families about how they can help alleviate the fear and worry that families deal with in the face of cancer. Within the Acworth and Kennesaw community, NC’s Rally Club, a chapter of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Rally Foundation, stands as one of those beacons of hope and promise for the future. From September 9 to September 13, the Rally Club celebrated its annual Rally Week, which incorporated several facets of NC into its fundraising and supporting endeavors.
According to the American Cancer Society, cancer stands as the second leading cause of death for children ages one to 14, and in 2024 alone, over 1000 children may pass away from the disease. In light of these grim statistics, the Rally Foundation has provided tremendous aid to families struggling with both financial and mental burdens brought on by cancer. For every dollar donated to the cause, the Rally Foundation donates 93 cents directly to their mission of fundraising toward a cure. Additionally, the Rally Foundation highlights kids from all over the country that currently battle with the disease, and amplifies their GoFundMe pages and stories so that people anywhere can contribute money or well wishes. Alongside financial aid, the Rally Foundation also has provided over 125,000 meals to families through their Rally Good Meals campaign.
Through Rally Week, NC’s Rally Club possessed one goal: to educate every student, teacher and parent on campus about the important work of the Rally Foundation, and how anyone could help. With dress-up days and after-school events, Rally Cub effectively used the entire week to uplift the cause while simultaneously incorporating the NC community into the fold. In the planning and preparations for Rally Week, the club’s five co-presidents— magnet seniors Jack Scafidi and Ciara Whimbush and magnet juniors Alyssa Mehta, Gabby Sutton and Keazandra-Clyne Verdeflor— hoped to raise significant funds and important awareness for the Rally Foundation, and to do so intentionally. With the help of the club sponsor and Advanced Placement (AP) Macroeconomics teacher Dr. Pamela Roach, the club’s crucial week succeeded.
“I’ve been fundraising for the Rally Foundation for seven years, and this is my fourth year in the Rally Club at NC. Having a leadership role in the rally club combined with my time working with the Foundation allows me to suggest methods that are more effective for raising money for the kids. Rally has given me a new perspective on what community service means. It is not about the hours, it’s about the people we’re helping,” Scafidi said.
Each Rally Week features an array of dress-up days for students and teachers to partake in. This year, themes included memes, country vs. country club, minions, student/teacher swap and Rally shirt day. Across all grades and subjects, NC committed to these entertaining themes while simultaneously aiding in uplifting the message of the Rally Foundation. As the week progressed, the outfits became increasingly striking and spirited.
Monday: Meme Day and Decoration Day
September 9, NC students dressed up as iconic memes from media such as “My Little Pony” and “Mean Girls” to usher in Rally Week. After school, Rally Club members spent time decorating the NC lobby, entrance and hallways with gold posters and ribbons to advertise the Rally Foundation in an enticing manner. On said posters, anyone who passed by could read a series of helpful statistics about childhood cancer and the work that the Foundation has achieved to help the cause.
Tuesday: Country vs. Country Club Day and weekly Rally Club meeting
Since the beginning of the 2024-25 school year, Rally Club has met every Tuesday. During Rally Week, club members focused on sorting ribbons for organizations that work at Friday Night Lights such as the NC marching band, football team and cheerleaders. Additionally, students created colorful bracelets to distribute to patrons who donate money at the football game later in the week.
Wednesday: Minion Day and Culver’s Night
The midpoint of Rally Week featured two symbolic facets of American pop culture— minions and fast food. Students and faculty arrived at school clad in their overalls, thick-framed glasses and gold t-shirts to mimic the hallmark cartoon characters, and similarly attempted to speak Minionese in passing with their friends. After school, members of the NC community traveled to the local Culver’s on Due West Road to indulge in butter burgers and cheese curds in support of Rally’s cause. From 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Rally Club members bore their smiles as they served meals to customers in the drive-through lane and in person. At the end of the night, the Rally Foundation directly received 20% of the proceeds generated by the restaurant during the event.
“I’ve been in Rally since my freshman year. Rally has allowed me to learn some of the individual stories behind what Rally stands for helping fund cancer research for kids with cancer. I attended Culver’s night during Rally week, and it helped spread awareness by asking for donations and telling others about its cause and how it helps children [and their families struggling] with cancer,” magnet junior and Rally Club member Justina Stewart said.
Friday: Rally Shirt Day, Interact and Rally collaboration and Gold Out Game
September 13 provided its fair share of Rally-based content to the NC community. For starters, the morning began with Interact Club crafting bracelets for the football game during their weekly club gathering. Amidst the medley of beads that hit the ground, several club attendees created beautiful accessories for Rally members to pass out. As students and teachers began arriving at school, the amount of students decked out in Rally shirts grew immensely. This year’s shirt, designed by magnet senior Citlalli Vela, showcased a beaming gold and white sunshine character with the message, “Donate, Advocate” around it.
As school wrapped up and students proceeded to commence their Friday night activities, Rally Club members worked diligently to prepare for the annual Gold Out game later that evening. Before the 7:30 PM kickoff, the Rally booth showcased information about the Rally Foundation, as well as bracelets, stickers and tattoos that game attendees could utilize. Additionally, Rally members painted the faces of children when their parents came to donate, and perused the game with donation buckets to discuss Rally’s mission with the NC community. Groups such as the NC marching band, sports medicine, student section and cheerleaders showed up in their gold accessories— and painted bodies— to advocate for the important cause Rally represents.
To conclude their excitable week, Rally Club raised over $2,400 for the Rally Foundation and sold over 120 t-shirts for the cause. As the busiest time of year for Rally Club commences, the leadership plans to host their annual Holiday Letters Fundraiser in December, alongside various other service projects to support the Foundation. With another successful Rally Week in the books, the future appears bright gold for what the club will achieve next.
Aria Reddy • Sep 20, 2024 at 6:05 PM
Wow. The pictures really show the depth of this topic. I deeply thank you for your insight.