CHECK PRESENTED — Pupils at St. Paul Catholic School in Weirton raised $2,006.93 through the Student Series program, Pennies for Patients, for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Student Series. Among those celebrating the effort’s outcome were, from left, Deena Tomshack, principal; fifth-grade pupils Tommy Boyd, Brian Charles, Grace Glover and Melesse Wiersbicki; and Jill Mullens, school nurse. -- Contributed

WEIRTON — Leukemia affects more children than any other cancer, so the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Student Series program provides a meaningful way for children to help children, with a local school being testimony to that.

The programs engage millions of students from thousands of schools across the United States, from elementary through high school, to teach them how to set and reach goals and the value of community involvement with programs they design to raise funds to support the LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Pupils at St. Paul Catholic School in Weirton raised $2,006.93 through the Student Series program, Pennies for Patients. Student Series is a series of service learning, character education and philanthropy programs where students gain the experience of helping thousands of people in their fight against blood cancers. Programs are tailored to each school level so students can grow with the Student Series and have an even greater impact on the lives of patients:

Pennies for Patients is a three-week program for elementary and middle Schools where students collect change and raise funds online while learning about service and philanthropy. Thanks to Olive Garden, Student Series’ national partner, LLS has designed a series of lesson plans for teachers to use in the classroom in response to the growing trend of making serving learning and character education part of the curriculum. The lesson plans integrate the theme of LLS’s Pennies for Patients programs into all academic areas.

Other programs are Collect For Cures for high school students and Students of the Year, a leadership development and philanthropy program for highly motivated high school students.

In the 2017-18 Student Series campaign, LLS is offering a comprehensive K-5 STEM curriculum to schools registered in a Student Series program, and will provide teachers with hands-on experiential activities and lessons that cover key Common Core skills.

Since it began in 1993, Student Series has helped LLS invest almost $1 billion in research to advance breakthrough cancer treatments that are saving lives today, and improving the quality of life for patients and their families, officials noted.

“By participating, not only will kids learn about making an impact, but about leadership, teamwork, philanthropy and what “doing good” for others can mean,” said (Tina Thompson), LLS’s Western PA & West Virginia Chapter Executive Director. “It’s a program that is truly meaningful because kids learn that their efforts really make a difference. As children move through their years at school, they can grow with the Student Series.”

Registering for LLS’s Student Series Programs is possible at www.studentseries.org. Teachers, parents and school administrators also may call their local LLS chapter for information. The number for the local chapter is (412) 395-2873.