Hockinson — For the second year in a row, Hockinson Middle School students participated in the “Pennies for Patients” challenge to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Last year, teacher Kendall Jones was contacted by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to participate. Jones was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in November 2013 only a few months after starting her position at HMS. As a lymphoma patient, Jones benefited from the work of the society, participating in one of their young adult cancer support groups and receiving financial assistance. She was happy to help raise money for the group. Last year, the school raised $4,800, significantly higher than the chapter average of $1,023. The chapter includes schools from Southwest Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. “They blew it out of the water the first year alone,” said Lisa Weber, student series campaign manager for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This year, they raised the bar even higher by collecting $6,228.76, which makes HMS one of the top 10 fundraising schools in the chapter. On March 18, they held an assembly to celebrate the results, with Jones and Weber both in attendance. “It’s just a great community,” Weber said. “Not even at the high school level have I ever met with such an engaged group.”
To learn more about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, visit https://www.lls.org/oregon-sw-washington-idaho-montana-chapter
