Kaitlyn Angeles

Heal Club aims to support pediatric cancer patients by donating items and supplies to give them a more comfortable hospital stay.

There are many kids in the world who have been suffering from cancer, and this club found a way to raise awareness for them. Heal Club is centered around health, education, awareness, and love, and members make a difference by supporting pediatric cancer patients while earning service hours. With their donations and support, many of the cancer patients would be able to feel comfortable at the hospital and even make their day. 

The club officially began in 2019 when a group of friends wanted to make a change. This club initially focused on off-campus activities like  visiting hospitals, but ever since COVID-19 hit, the students couldn’t continue their visits as everything was online. 

“This club started pre-COVID and it was just a bunch of friends who came together for this cause, and it was a bit more involved,” president of Heal Club Eliana Shin (11) said.

Though, there has been a loss of popularity, because with the original members, this club was more popular back then as well now. Most of the members in Heal Club came from students who were friends with the former members, so this connection allowed this club to grow.

“It’s mostly just people who are connected to the past alumni,” said co-president Lindsay Shen (12).

Students should join this club because it creates connections and allows students to gain service hours that focus on helping cancer patients. The members are all friendly and the working environment is well put in order. 

For the members of this club, they “all have the same goal…to make small differences,” Shen said. Every student in this club would be able to be a part of this cause and be allowed an opportunity to help.

“So not only are you working for a good cause, but you’re making these friendships and these connections to help you in the future as well,” said Shin.

Despite the club’s good intentions, there have been issues that arise from time to time.  Some problems might be not being in contact with the hospital patients, so the members are planning on becoming more familiar with them. Donating may be difficult knowing that the policies changed because of COVID-19, but the thought of keeping the patients safe should be kept in mind. 

“It’s just like us not being able to figure out how to get into contact with all the patients at the hospital, just because in the past last year and the year before that, it has been very slow inactivity. So I think we really want to just jump start it again and hopefully get more in contact,” Shen said.

Despite there being many clubs that include service hours, Heal Club in particular aims towards children and their health. This club comes together to form a more enjoyable condition for pediatric cancer patients. 

“This would be one of those clubs that’s focused on community service, but I don’t think that there is any club on campus that particularly focuses on children and their well-being,” said Ms. Katy Amirtash, the advisor for Heal Club. “It’s going to be unique and beneficial.”

How they support their funds to help care for patients is by doing fundraisers. For example, during COVID, the club had members do deeds and people would pay to watch them. Using that money, the club would be able to make the funds for the hospital that they are donating to. This was all planned out so it would be easier for the club members.

“Each officer would do something and people would pay to see…and I think that was a really good fundraiser idea because with that fundraiser it would go straight…to one of the officers and then the officer would use it for funds to donate to the hospital,” said Shen.

Heal Club is there for the students who would like to make a change and create a better environment for children who are affected by cancer.

“The mission statement and importance of this club is to help children with pediatric cancer just to make them as comfortable as possible,” Shin said.