Marion kids raise money for cancer society

MARION - A group of 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds raised more than $300 last week for a cause close to their hearts.

Melissa Bray, who teaches the children at the Little Lions Preschool at Linn Grove Elementary, said in the past year, one of her students lost her father, Vyrl Clark, to cancer, and another student's mother, Lindsey Knopp, is battling the disease.

One day, the children were sitting at the snack table, and Bray said they started talking about cancer.

'The little boy (Liam) asked his peer if her dad had lost his hair, and said that his mom was going to lose her hair,” Bray said.

Bray said she went home that day, a Friday, and cried over her students' plight. She then decided to try to come up with a way to help the children fight cancer in their own way.

'I wanted to come up with a way for the kids to feel they were helping out and giving back,” Bray said.

She came up with 'Art for a Cause,” a night where people could come and look at the childrens' artwork and hear them sing an assortment of songs.

A donation box was placed prominently in the room and attendees were encouraged to give money to the American Cancer Society.

Representatives from the cancer society were on hand at the event, and Bray said they had come into the classroom to help the children with art projects.

'It's just amazing to have these kids be able to create and do things and give back,” Bray said before the event. 'I don't care if we reaise $5 or $500, it's just something they are doing to really help others.”

At the end of the night, $348.25 was given to the society, which will use the money for research and to help cancer patients.

'It's really quite amazing how people this little can make world changing decisions,” said Knopp, who is receiving treatment at the Hall-Perrine Cancer Center.

Bray said the Clark and Knopp families thought the event was a great idea and were really touched.

'It's great for her to see her son feels he's making a difference,” Bray said of Knopp.

Bray, who has been at Little Lions for nine years, said she would love to do another fundraiser.

'I really want to take it a step further and find other ways to give back,” Bray said. 'There's no words to express how much this means to those kids, teaching such valuable life lessons you can't teach.”