Written by: The Philanthropist

Devin Maier : Connect4Cancer

Background

No stranger to community service, Maier has been participating in and organizing community outreach since elementary school. In addition to serving his school and community via student council-led programs, Maier heads up Westminster’s Heartstrings Orchestra club where he organizes monthly visits to the Eastridge Retirement home where the students play classical music for the elderly residents. “Growing up, my mother always instilled in me the need to give back to the community,” he says. “She would help us with our lemonade stands at home and we would donate the money to His House Children’s home.”

Connecting The Dots

Now a sophomore at WCS, Maier was spurred to create his own charitable club by a tragic event within his family. Having lost an aunt to cancer at a young age, Maier saw firsthand the devastating effects of the disease on both the patients and the families. “I decided to start a club at my school that would bring awareness about this disease and I also wanted to let those affected by cancer know that they were not forgotten, especially those suffering from childhood cancer,” he says. The club, Connect4Cancer, was embraced by WCS administration and students, with more than 60 students signed up so far and more showing interest by the week.

Community Crafts

The club has found its place in the community by hosting Sunday craft days at the local Ronald McDonald House, bringing about five-to-six members to each activity. “The members as well as the kids and their parents really enjoy the Sundays when we come,” says Maier. “ It helps take their minds away from the reason they are there and the kids get to be kids again.” For October, the club members brought pumpkins to decorate and in November they helped create Thanksgiving decorations. “The kids like to play around, laugh and we all have a wonderful time together,” he says. “We are planning to start bringing dinners for the residents at Ronald McDonald house so our club can donate a Sunday dinner as well as an afternoon of fun.”

Looking Ahead

In addition to expanding their work within Ronald McDonald house, Connect4Cancer is hoping to host bake sales and other events in order to raise funds to donate towards cancer research. “We will be hosting an afternoon at Chill-N Nitrogen Ice as well as Chipotle,” says Maier. “A percentage of the proceeds for those nights will go towards Connect4Cancer and cancer research.”


Connect4Cancer // Connect4Cancer.org

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Tags: , , , Last modified: March 13, 2020