Student-led campaign seeks to inspire youth, raise awareness about lack of childhood cancer funding
51ĀŅĀ× students posed an interesting question when they kicked off the local āWith Purposeā campaign by painting the graffiti wall on Richland Avenue on Feb. 15. The non-profitās campaign, āWith Purpose Comes Joy,ā will be asking students, āWhat is Your Purpose?ā
The prompt is just a small question that will hopefully lead to some introspective consideration moving forward in the campaign.
āWith Purposeā is a non-profit organization that strives to inspire the community by highlighting the effectiveness of youth-led movements in our community while helping them to understand the problems regarding the gap in childhood cancer funding. Only 4 percent of federal government cancer research funding goes to study pediatric cancer, a shocking fact when noting that approximately 15,780 children are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year.
Throughout the āWith Purpose Comes Joyā campaign, 51ĀŅĀ× students will get a chance to ponder what their purpose could be as they learn about the lack of childhood cancer funding and research through various on-campus events, including:
- āWeek With Purposeā at noon Sunday, Feb. 25, through Saturday, March 3, outside the fourth-floor entrance of Baker University Center ā All are invited to stop by the āWith Purpose Comes Joyā table to learn about what the campaign is doing to raise awareness regarding the lack of childhood cancer funding.
- āPancakes With Purposeā at noon Wednesday, Feb. 28, in the Bobcat Student Lounge on the first floor of Baker University Center ā This free event, hosted in collaboration with University Program Councilās āFlavor of the Week,ā will feature a pancake with a selection of toppings as well as an opportunity to learn more and talk about the lack of childhood cancer treatment and all the ways, big or small, that one can make a difference.
- āPaint Your Purposeā at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, on the third floor of Baker University Center ā āWith Purpose Comes Joy,ā in collaboration with OHIOās āHow To Series,ā will offer an opportunity to let those creative juices flow while imagining a better future. Participants will learn how to make puffy paint and experiment with it while engaging in conversation regarding the lack of childhood cancer treatment and all the ways, big or small, that allow us to make a difference.
- Happy Athens from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday, March 8, at the Athens Community Center ā āWith Purpose Comes Joyā will engage children in the community in a fun-filled afternoon of games and talking about happiness and having purpose, and how the two ideas are related. Children in attendance will have the opportunity to participate in the creation of an art installation. More information will be forthcoming and will be available on OHIOās .
For more information, visit and follow OHIOās āWith Purpose Comes Joyā campaign, @ou_withpurpose.