Color for a Cause

MONROE — Denise Young was quiet around her PCM High School students about her stage IV breast cancer diagnosis for much of the year.

But once her current and former family and consumer science students heard the news, it didn’t take long for them to act.

“She kind of kept it on the down low for a while. She didn’t want to distract people from school, so on her last day she told everyone about what had happened,” said Amber Meyer, PCM senior. “My lunch table said we need to do something for her because she’s been a teacher at PCM for so long.”

Young has been a teacher at PCM for 18 years. Her classes are prerequisites for graduation, so Young has taught nearly every student who’s walked through the high school’s doors. Young is now on gone for the remainder of the school year while she goes through Chemotherapy, but her students want to make sure she knows she’s not forgotten.

Students in the high school’s leadership class are organizing a 5K Color Run to raise money for Young and her family to help pay medical bills and afford basic needs during her treatment.

“Mrs. Young has given us a lot because she’s had to teach all of us in here. I think we’re just trying to give back what she’s given to us. Our goal is to have a bunch of people come and help her and her family get money to cover her medical bills,” PCM senior Darian Drake said during leadership class Monday.

The run is set for 8 a.m. May 26 in downtown Monroe. Runners can register at 7 a.m. the day of the race. Along the route, student volunteers will be splashing nontoxic paint all over the runners to add a little color to the race.

After the students decided the fundraiser would be a 5K, they realized this would be a big undertaking in a short amount of time. So they reached out to Prairie City, Monroe and central Iowa businesses to sponsor the race.

The students have secured 14 sponsors, raising $1,000. Some businesses donated goods like bottled water. The students also took it upon themselves to approach the Monroe City Council on May 7 to ask for road closures along the route.

“Things like that happen in the community in Monroe and Prairie City, we all come together and it’s really cool to see that happen,” Meyer said.

Drake and fellow PCM senior Ellie Steenhoek helped design T-shirts for the race which ready “Kick Cancer’s Butt” and sold 213, raising $2,250 in a matter of weeks.

“We didn’t really think it would be that big of a thing,” Drake said. “Our goal was 150 and we ended up selling way more than that, it was really cool.”

Young has made an impact on her students, and so far leadership class has seen at least 80 people interested in the run, according to the event Facebook page.

“She’s my advisory teacher, so I had he throughout our years. Advisory gives lessons on life and you can tell she’s so compassionate about it and loves teaching. She’s always there for you,” Steenhoek said.

Meyer added, “Cancer is a big thing in my family, and you don’t realize until you get older how caner affects so many people’s lives everywhere. I think a lot of people throughout the community will be really appreciative of it because I think everybody can relate to a cancer story.”

Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@monroelegacy.com