Hallmark Awards Resources
Sample of a 2004 Service Hallmark Award - Winning Essay
Nu Pi Chapter
Sinclair Community College
Dayton, Ohio
"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races, one after another" - Walter Elliot
For cancer survivors and families who have lost loved ones to this disease, perseverance is truly part of their daily routine. Throughout the year we were inspired by the stories of those who have survived cancer. Testimonials from cancer survivors motivated us to actively implement the International Service program, "Conquering Cancer: A Prevention and Awareness Program," with the American Cancer Society in our college and community. We realized that making a difference through service would involve participating in various cancer conquering marathons, consisting of many short races. Our chapter made the decision to focus on prevention, awareness, and fundraising in an effort to make a difference in our community.
The "prevention" marathon kick-off involved reaching out to our community's homeless population. During hot summer months, the homeless spend many hours in the sun without sunscreen or other preventative cancer resources. Our concern for their health led to the initiation of "Project Cover-Up (Sunscreen)" on campus. We prepared skin cancer awareness kits, which consisted of sun block and skin cancer prevention pamphlets. In early summer, we donated the kits to The Other Place Shelter, the only daytime homeless shelter in Dayton. Nu Pi is the first organization in the Miami Valley area to educate the homeless on the dangers of sun exposure and to provide sunscreen to those living without shelter.
Another dash in our efforts toward cancer prevention included partnering with our Student Government Association in encouraging Sinclair to become a smoke-free campus. We met with school officials in an effort to redefine various smoking areas on campus and encourage the relocation of ashtrays in order to enforce the current policy requiring ashtrays to be located beyond a fifty-foot radius from any building entrance. We formed a committee to further investigate the development of a new smoking policy. We later teamed up with the national lobbying group for the "Smoke-Free Dayton" campaign in the hopes of creating a smoke-free environment in our local restaurants and bars. Advocating for these changes, a Nu Pi member spoke at a city council meeting, which was aired on a local television channel. Our race towards cancer prevention on our campus continues to be very difficult; however, we continue to strive towards the finish line.
The "awareness" marathon sent us on a series of sprints to increase cancer awareness on our campus and in our community. Throughout the year, Nu Pi joined the local American Cancer Society in distributing information at various campus activities. We assisted the American Cancer Society in educating walkers during the summer at five Relay for Life events.
Nu Pi also participated in a yearlong awareness project by co-sponsoring and volunteering at the Take Off Zone at Sinclair. The Take Off Zone is a citywide project to encourage healthy lifestyles by incorporating physical activity and healthy diet choices. Along with the American Cancer Society, we provided information concerning the connections between good nutrition and cancer prevention. Nu Pi volunteers were recognized by the City of Dayton several times throughout the year for their efforts.
Early in the fall, Nu Pi members participated in an area-wide cancer awareness project by supporting Z-93, a local radio station, in creating a "bra bridge" to heighten breast cancer awareness. We sent a campus wide e-mail to all students and placed a classified ad in our student newspaper to increase awareness about breast cancer. Our chapter collected 568 bras that were later pinned with pink ribbons and hung on the Monument-Riverside Bridge in Dayton. Nu Pi was the only group to assist Z-93 in the actual event; the event received both local and national media attention. Joan Scott, a Nu Pi member and cancer survivor, was interviewed on the morning broadcast to encourage all listeners to become educated about the facts of breast cancer. Following the news coverage, the bras were washed and donated to the YWCA's Battered Women's Shelter in Dayton.
In another "awareness" sprint, we reached out to increase awareness among our youth by inviting Bill Baker, a volunteer for the American Cancer Society, to speak to students at a local high school. Mr. Baker, a former smoker, spoke about the consequences of smoking and its second-hand effects. As a former young smoker, he encouraged the students not to start smoking and to quit if they had already begun. As he shared his experiences, Mr. Baker inspired many students with his courage, strength, and hope about his struggle with smoking.
Although our "prevention" and "awareness" marathons were difficult, fundraising was the most challenging. Early in the Spring, we participated in the Women's Walk for Wellness, where we collected over $2,000 to help uninsured women in our area receive free mammograms, wigs and breast prosthesis.
During the summer months, we chose to become actively involved in five Relay for Life events in the Miami Valley. Members walked, served as volunteers, and assisted the American Cancer Society with various activities including the lighting of luminaria to spell out the message of "HOPE". To increase our fundraising efforts, members decorated various campus bulletin boards with literature about cancer and pamphlets inviting people to participate in these events. Throughout the relays, our chapter decided it would be fun to build a large, red house decorated completely with candy, which was later transformed into our "Candy for the Cure" fundraising theme. The house was displayed at each Relay for Life event. Children of all ages enjoyed playing in the house and purchasing candy. This project generated over $500.00 for the American Cancer Society.
Nu Pi was instrumental in creating and supporting a new site for the Relay for Life in Trotwood, Ohio. Our team recruited local organizations and businesses to sponsor teams and donate items for the various raffles. We developed games and activities for those in attendance; one highlight was teaching the Trotwood High School football team to hula-hoop. At this event, one of our members was the top individual fundraiser.
Our participation in these summer projects continued to inspire us to persevere through each subsequent race. At each event, we heard stories of those who have been afflicted by cancer, which strengthened our motivation to persevere. We saw first-hand our fundraising efforts making a difference in the long race against cancer.
In October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, we completed our final fundraising lap. We organized the "Sinclair Striders," a team of fifty faculty, staff, and students who participated in the annual walk through Dayton. Our team raised over $5,000 of the $160,000 collected during this event, making it one of the most successful in the State of Ohio.
During the past year, Nu Pi members came to realize that it takes a dedicated team of doctors, scientists, volunteers, and the strength of people pulling together to successfully strive toward the eradication of this disease called cancer. Through our efforts toward prevention, awareness, and fundraising we persevered to educate and serve our fellow members, our campus and our community. The Nu Pi chapter learned that perseverance is the key to fighting cancer because, "there is no finish line until we find a cure for cancer."
