A Young Giver Goes Big to Support Cancer Research
7th grader levels up on school project in memory of his uncle
Inspired by a special school project, seventh grader Brandon Schultz set out on a mission.
At the Newark Center for Creative Learning (NCCL) School in Delaware, Brandon took part in The Big Give, where each student is given $50 and asked to make a difference with the money. Brandon was determined to make a difference in pancreatic cancer research, a cause with meaning close to his heart.
“I lost my Great Uncle Ben (GUB) to cancer. He was an amazing role model. He was the best, an incredible person,” Brandon wrote as part of his project. “While I was not very old at the time, I loved him. He was one of my heroes.”
Brandon learned that more than 600,000 people die from cancer in the U.S. each year. In memory of “GUB,” he directed his fundraising toward pancreatic cancer research and treatment at the Cawley Center for Translational Cancer Research at ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute.
“Ever since GUB’s passing from cancer, I have wanted to raise awareness about the issue and do whatever I can to help to find a cure,” he wrote. “I recently found out that my great-grandmother also died from pancreatic cancer. Both of these losses have had a big impact on my family.”
Brandon grew his $50 in seed money nearly 20 times over through a Go Fund Me project, raising $990.93. With his family, Brandon presented a check to the Graham Cancer Center, just in time for Cancer Survivorship Day in June.
He also brought boxes of protein bars for Cancer Center caregivers to distribute as giveaways during Cancer Survivorship events.
Candy Muldowney, BSN, RN, OCN, coordinator of the Graham Cancer Center’s Survivorship Program, met with Brandon and his family to accept the donations.
“Brandon’s generosity and thoughtfulness are gifts in themselves,” Muldowney said. “He raised money, awareness and hope—and how a little can grow a long way.”
