Classmates Collaborate to Make an Impact

Teresa Given’s 5th Grade advisory stood at two lemonade stands they had set up in the McFall Hall courtyard, the students wearing smiles endowed with pride. The line of Collegiate School community members moving towards the stands continued to extend. With each cup of lemonade sold, the students knew that they were helping their friend and classmate Thomas Carley ’29, who was diagnosed with T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in December of 2020, and other children fighting cancer. 

 

The event, organized by the 5th Grade students, is part of the 22nd annual Anthem LemonAid fundraiser, which benefits the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University. “What we’re doing is helping kids in my condition,” said Thomas, who was recently named the 2022 ambassador for Anthem LemonAid. “I know that the work I’m doing now might help somebody later, and it’s great to see my Collegiate classmates come together to support this.”  

After Thomas’s diagnosis, he immediately began treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. He maintained a warm, compassionate disposition, a bright beacon of inspiration for his classmates. On May 18, 2022, his family found out that he was in complete remission. During Thomas’s treatment, his classmates began to comprehend the full impact that cancer can have on a life. The Anthem LemonAid event served as a way for the students to raise awareness and support. 

“I view this project as just supporting a friend and helping spread awareness for kids with cancer,” said Wes Zizzo ’29. “It shows that we’re willing to do work to help our friends, especially if they’re going through hard times. And really projects like this can bring a lot of people together, especially large groups.” 

“We’ve learned what cancer can do to somebody and we’re trying to educate other people about that,” said Jackson Brantingham ’29. “So this event isn’t just about Thomas — even though he is an inspiration to us. It is about multiple people around the world who have cancer, and we’re trying to really help them and support them by doing this lemonade stand.”

To promote the event, students collaborated as a class to design posters, send emails and create videos. The project involved commitment and dedication, team building, community awareness and a desire to improve a life. “This project has awakened our abilities to work together,” said Wes Zizzo ’29. “It shows that we’re willing to do work to help our friends, especially if they’re going through hard times. And really projects like this can bring a lot of people together, especially large groups.” 

The event, then, is a gift, given humbly and with the intention of benefiting the lives of others. “The Anthem LemonAid stand here at Collegiate — and the student body that made it happen — is a testament to the desire to support others and raise money for kids who are going through things that are challenging,” said Vaughan Clark with Children’s Hospital Foundation at VCU. “I think it’s fantastic. I think it enables kids, parents and families to look outside of themselves. And for these students to see that they can have an impact — even through something like the sale of lemonade — is hugely beneficial to so many.”