By: Embry Bird
Memphis’s very own Christian Brothers High School Cheer team placed in the top five out of hundreds of teams nationwide for the most fundraising in the country to attend the St. Jude Varsity Leadership Experience. The cheerleaders achieved this goal by writing many hundreds for writing letters to their friends, families, and local businesses asking for donations benefitting St. Jude. Three of CBHS’s cheerleaders along with their coach, Keeley Childress, were invited to tour the St. Jude Hospital and the Target House. Along with this opportunity, the cheerleaders also heard from some of St. Jude’s top marketers in different leadership seminars. The best part of all, of course, was the interaction with the St. Jude patients and their families, as the cheerleaders got a personal experience as to why their fundraising is so important. The CBHS cheerleaders said this experience was so special to them because they were able to see the impact of St. Jude within families and their children, and it is planted in the heart of their very own city, Memphis. From painting with the patients at the Target House to seeing them in the hospital, their optimistic spirits and courage through their illness is truly incredible to witness, and it should be supported by the fundraising of the Memphis community. The St. Jude Varsity Leadership Experience was a complete awakening to the importance of fundraising, especially within local institutions like St. Jude. The CBHS cheerleaders are already promoting St. Jude through fundraising in hopes of getting more of their community involved with supporting St. Jude and its powerful mission.
