Putnam City Public Schools on Monday night presented the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation with a check for more than $122,000 to support cancer research. The funds were raised entirely by district students during the 2005-06 school year.
“Once again, the students of Putnam City have demonstrated a remarkable commitment to philanthropy and public health,” said OMRF President Stephen Prescott, M.D. “The energy they have shown in raising these funds is matched only by their charity in donating them to a cause that will help all Oklahomans and people everywhere.”
The money, collected through a series of student fund-raising activities, brings the district’s overall giving to OMRF to $2.45 million since 1975. The check was presented to Meredith Miers, OMRF development officer, during a district school board meeting.
“Students naturally want to help others. However, a lot of students must deal with cancer on a very personal basis because of family members or friends who are facing the disease,” said Melanie Pealor, Putnam City West High School assistant principal and a Cancer Fund Drive committee member. “I think that inspires them to want to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to raise funds for cancer research.”
Countless bake sales, car washes and carnivals have raised the funds for Putnam City’s annual gifts to OMRF. This spring, for example, students sold tickets to a New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets basketball game, an effort that raised more than $5,000.
The Putnam City Cancer Fund Drive was started in 1975 by Lois Thomas, then a teacher at Putnam City High School. Cancer took a heavy toll that decade, striking three of Thomas’ fellow teachers and an administrator in a single year. With the help of fellow teachers, Thomas organized a change drive.
In years since, the effort has expanded, with proceeds now coming from garage sales, dances, volleyball marathons and countless other events that the students organize. “They work very hard, in part because it’s a school and district tradition but in part because they see the need,” Pealor said.
The funds have been used to purchase a wide variety of sophisticated laboratory equipment, including high-powered microscopes, centrifuges and incubators. The students’ efforts also established the Putnam City Schools Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research, which is held by OMRF scientist Linda Thompson, Ph.D.
The chair is believed to be the only endowed chair anywhere funded entirely by students. And it has led to important progress against cancer, as Thompson’s work has helped create a breast cancer risk assessment test that is now available in clinics.
“The students and faculty of Putnam City schools are among the most loyal and generous partners and donors to OMRF,” Miers said. “Their gifts have helped our researchers make important inroads against a deadly disease, and we’re confident their support will help with even more cancer research in years to come.”
About OMRF:
Celebrating its 60th birthday in 2006, OMRF (www.omrf.org) is a nonprofit biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding and curing human disease. Its scientists focus on such critical research areas as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, lupus and cardiovascular disease. It is home to Oklahoma’s only member of the National Academy of Sciences.