If you look around during the cold winter months in State College, you’ve probably seen several women wearing thick, knitted beanies with a large leather logo on the front. These hats are more than just a trendy accessory, though.
Love Your Melon hats have grown in popularity over the past couple of years across cities and college campuses worldwide. For every beanie sold, Love Your Melon donates one to a child battling cancer, and 50% of the proceeds from the hat sales goes towards finding a cure for pediatric cancer.
The organization was created by two students who had an idea in their entrepreneurship class at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Since 2012, they have donated over 6.1 million dollars and 160,524 beanies, all in pursuit of finding a cure for this disease.
Penn State is also one of just a handful of colleges across the country that is a part of the campus crew program, a group of students who work tirelessly to promote the mission of Love Your Melon while raising critical funds.
“The campus crew program provides the opportunity for like-minded college students to come together and make a difference in the lives of kids battling cancer”, says Kate Diveny, the vice president of the Penn State Love Your Melon crew.
The organization partners with a variety of student organizations to host events and raise awareness about the brand. They work hard throughout the year to raise money and continue to support the Love Your Melon fund through various fundraising efforts and initiatives. By spreading the word across campus, they hope to raise more critical dollars in support of the families and children battling cancer.
Photo by Dana Weltman
Not only does the Love Your Melon campus crew work hard to promote the mission of the company itself, but they also bring to light the various charities that the brand works with. Rather than focusing on promoting the product, per say, the students strive to educate others on the mission.
“Love Your Melon partners with the Ronald McDonald House, Be the Match and a variety of other similar organizations. These organizations help to provide a therapeutic experience for children and families affected by pediatric cancer,” Diveny says.
The mission of Love Your Melon is very similar to that of THON, and this organization provides an additional opportunity for students to raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer. Almost all of the students involved with Love Your Melon are somehow involved in the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, ranging from committee members to even captains.
“I joined the PSU crew to aid in the mission of putting a hat on every child’s head battling cancer in America. However, since joining I can say Love Your Melon is so much more. We put smiles on the faces of those fighting the fight. We raise awareness of the life-changing disease cancer is,” says Corrie Haiko, the president of Penn State’s Love Your Melon campus crew.
The Love Your Melon campus crew is another example of how Penn State students are committed and dedicated to this cause. Above all, the mission of Penn State’s Love Your Melon campus crew is to spread the mission of the company and continue to work towards finding a cure for childhood cancer.
Interested in learning more about this student organization? Be sure to follow @pennstatelymcrew on Instagram to hear more about involvement opportunities!
