By Spencer Hebel | Blackman High School, TN
Blackman High School DECA hosted the "Blackman Goes Gold" week from September 8 to 12 to raise awareness about Childhood Cancer. It was a very widespread success. From garnering awareness to holding a donation drive, they really did it all. The "Go Gold" week aimed to spread awareness for childhood cancer, which is a severe issue that too few people know about. We have two members of the Blackman High School family who are personally affected by this, as well as our Director of Schools.
For the Go Gold week, our chapter hosted a different dress-up day each day of the week.
- Monday was "Go Gold!" day, where people were encouraged to wear gold in support of the gold awareness ribbon, which raises awareness for childhood cancer.
- Tuesday was "Teddy Bear Tuesday,” where everyone wore pajamas and comfortable clothes.
- Wednesday was "Not All Heroes Wear Capes,” where students wore superhero clothes.
- Thursday was "Throwback Thursday," which meant wearing dresses reminiscent of those from your kindergarten days or your younger self.
- The final theme was "Glow With Purpose," where the aim was to wear neon and brightly colored clothing.
To promote this, our chapter created a flyer that was shared on the chapter's Instagram, as well as posted throughout the school and on the school's social media channels.
To help boost recognition, our chapter took pictures with the participating students and then uploaded them to the BHS DECA Instagram page. This effort helped reach a larger audience than usual and spread awareness throughout the entire school staff and student body.
In addition to all this, our chapter hosted a donation drive that collected many items from Vanderbilt Children's Hospital's wish list. We also had stations at the following meeting, where DECA members prepared clothing and toiletry bags for children and their families in the hospital. Our chapter will also be making tie blankets at Vanderbilt's request. After we have packed up all the toys, blankets, clothes, and toiletry items and organized them, some of our members will accompany one adviser and deliver them to Champ's Toy Chest at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.
Overall, the "Go Gold" week was a resounding success in bolstering awareness and bringing the school's community together for such a great cause.
