Teens raise funds for families hit by illness

The students have several events in the works.
& lt;a href=mailto:jgoodwin@vindy.com & gt;By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR & lt;/a & gt;.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Jordan Aron, like many other 13-year-old boys, spends much of his spare time playing video games, baseball, fishing and trekking through the wooded area behind his home.
Jordan, however, has a daily battle with something most boys his age will never face -- rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancerous soft-tissue tumor found in children. He was diagnosed with the disease in 2002.
Jordan's mother, Wendy Aron, said going through the process of treating the illness has not been easy.
Jordan, his mother said, missed most of last school year while going through treatment. After going through treatment during all of 2003, Jordan's illness seemed under control.
Battle continues
On New Year's Day, however, the family realized Jordan's battle with cancer was not over. He woke that morning with a lump on the side of his head. Doctors later determined it to be cancerous.
Jordan is again undergoing treatment for the cancer. He attends Glenwood Middle School, but spends a great deal of time visiting hospitals in Cleveland.
Wendy Aron said the hospital bills and treatments are expensive, but the community has shown a great deal of support for the family.
One group of Boardman High School seniors has embarked on a mission to raise $7,777 for the Aron family and the family of Luis Hayes, another Glenwood Middle School pupil, who died of leukemia April 7.
Most of the high school students organizing the fund-raising effort -- about 15 in all -- had never met Luis and do not know Jordan. They said the fund-raising effort is simply about helping ease some of the financial burden of the families.
How it began
The effort started when Boardman senior Julie Neiman decided to shave her head if students could raise an undetermined amount of money for the boys. She spoke with several friends and they decided to cancel the hair-cutting idea and pull the school's various clubs and senior class together for one large fund-raising campaign.
The $7,777 Fundraiser campaign -- a dollar amount representative of the high school's address -- was born.
The students have been holding a list of fund-raising activities. There will be a bake sale, car wash, candy sale and donation boxes posted around the area. Other events are also planned.
The students have already held a movie night that brought in more than $400. They say the community response has been very good.
"We only expected to raise like $100, but we ended up raising $440," said Jenna Barvitski, one of the organizers.
Organizer Tim Kaple said the school board has allowed the students use of the Boardman Performing Arts building for a benefit concert.
Alex Fuentes, fund-raising organizer, said those who do not want to attend the concert do not have to feel left out of the fund-raising effort.
Donations can be sent to the high school with $7,777 Fundraiser written in the check memo.
Another goal
The students say raising the money and distributing it to the families will not solve the families' problems, but they hope it will give them some comfort.
"In the large scheme of things, $8,000 is not a lot, but every little bit helps and we are just looking to do whatever we can do," said organizer Brian Katz.
Regardless of the dollar amount, Wendy Aron said, the support from the students and others in the community is appreciated and a blessing to the family.
"They just want to help him -- their hearts go out," she said. "They don't know what to do, but they want to show support and that they care. It makes you feel better, more optimistic."
The students hope to keep the fund-raising campaign going until they have reached their goal.
& lt;a href=mailto:jgoodwin@vindy.com & gt;jgoodwin@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;