Liberty High Difference Makers raising money for cancer research during free dance Sunday

NORTH LIBERTY — Iowa City Liberty High School students are raising money for families with children living with life-threatening illnesses — and dancing to do it.

A Liberty High student group — Difference Makers — is hosting a fundraising event with dancing and speakers Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at Liberty High School, 1400 Dubuque St. NE, North Liberty.

The event is family friendly and free to the public. There will be a silent auction with items such as footballs and jerseys signed by the players and other items. Donations also will be accepted. Between 150 and 200 people are expected to attend.

Difference Makers works all school year to raise awareness and donate to local organizations that support children fighting life-threatening illnesses and their families.

Over the last four years, Difference Makers has raised thousands of dollars:

The money has been donated to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House of Iowa City, which provides lodging for families with children in the hospital, and the Fight With Flash Foundation, which raises money and awareness for cancer research.

The Fight With Flash Foundation was created by Craig and Stacy Schroeder to honor the life and spirit of their son Austin “Flash” Schroeder.

Austin was diagnosed with a form of T-cell lymphoma — cancer — in April 2014 at the age of 14. Throughout his treatment, he continued to smile, fight and hope, according to the Fight With Flash Foundation.

Austin died on April 28, 2015.

Craig Schroeder, Austin’s father, has occasionally spoken at and attended Difference Maker’s dance event.

“It’s pure, raw emotion,” Craig said. ”These kids at a young age are making a difference in other people’s lives. Everyone matters, and every dollar matters.”

The event is more than dancing — it’s creating hope and miracles for families who have a child with a life-threatening illness, Craig said. “Families like us that lose a child,” he said.

“It helps keep our son’s legacy alive to be able to attend this event — regardless if we speak or not. We get to share our son’s story,” Craig said.

Be The Match operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, also will be present Sunday. The program helps thousands of people diagnosed every year with life-threatening blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma by connecting patients with their donor match for a lifesaving transplant.

Anyone age 18 and older can register to be a donor through a simple cheek swab.

Max Beckman, a senior at Liberty High School, has been volunteering with Difference Makers since his freshman year of high school. Now at age 18, he plans to register with Be The Match.

“The memories I have from our past events are something I will never forget,” Beckman said. “The emotion that runs through our building on that day is unbelievable.”

“I want to be able to make a difference,” Beckman said. “To see friends of mine who have been impacted by an illness, that hits me on another level.”

Addison Fishman, 16, a junior at Liberty High, also got involved with Difference Makers her freshman year of high school.

“The whole community comes together to celebrate and raise a lot of money for kids battling life-threatening diseases,” Addison said. “We may be working hard to put this on, but they’re working a million times harder to survive.”

Difference Makers is a similar idea as Dance Marathon, an event where people dance and dancers remain standing, if able, for a full 24 hours to raise money to local hospitals to fund lifesaving treatments.

Jennifer Secrist, an English Language Learner teacher at Northwest Junior High in Coralville, helped start Dance Marathon at Iowa City West High School in 2011 when she was a teacher there.

When she came to teach at Liberty High, she brought the idea of Dance Marathon there, now known as Difference Makers.

“I want these kids to realize that when they join together, even doing something small, their combined effort can manifest into something completely amazing,” Secrist said.

Sunday, students will dance, sing and perform.

“You will get to see a student-led community rallying around kids who hope for one more birthday,” she said.

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