Two years ago the school I teach at had a very powerful assembly. We learned about Rachel’s Challenge. Young Rachel Scott was the first student killed during the attacks at Columbine in 1999. Her philosophy of life and the slogan of Rachel’s Challenge is: “Start a chain reaction.” Although she did pass on that tragic day that is still in our hearts, her message and hope lives on. Check out her essay about her code of ethics and be blown away.

One such chain reaction happened when the Turn of River Middle School’s Rachel’s Challenge club decided to raise money for Alex Berman. According to The National Foundation of Transplants, Alex has had several surgeries for his Hodgkin’s lymphoma. One such surgery cost over $800,000 in bills and, as a result, he needed to move to Seattle in order to recover. Travel and living expenses on top of surgery expenses were just too much for him to handle.

The school club learned about Alex because of Turn of River MS 8th grade teacher Dave Edelson who is close friends with Alex. Their idea? Raise money with a pancake breakfast!

Here are the details:

Turn of River Middle School

117 Vine Road

Stamford, CT

$10

March 31, 2012

8:30-11:30

Homemade breakfast: pancakes, sausage, muffins, fruit, and coffee/tea/hot chocolate or juice.

Live out Rachel Scott’s dream by starting a chain reaction of kindness, love, and compassion. Your $10 might not seem like much, but combined with the hundreds of people that come and we are talking thousands of dollars. Start your own chain reaction, stop by, and also think about making additional donations. Read below for the info. Thank you to Frank Carpenteri Jr. from Garden Catering for letting us know about this amazing event.

From the National Foundation of Transplants site:

To make a tax-deductible donation in honor of Berman, please send a contribution to the NFT New Jersey Transplant Fund, 5350 Poplar Ave., Suite 430, Memphis, TN 38119. Please be sure to write “in honor of Alexander Berman” on the memo line. Secure donations also can be made online at www.transplants.org. Donors should select “Find or Become an NFT Patient” to locate Berman.

About NFT



NFT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Memphis, Tenn. that has been helping transplant patients overcome financial obstacles since 1983. NFT provides fundraising expertise and advocacy to transplant patients by organizing fundraising campaigns in the patients’ own communities. NFT’s fundraising campaigns have generated nearly $60 million to assist patients.