by Madison Schettler | Staff Writer
Salve Regina prides itself on its sense of community, and as the mission statement reads, making the world a
more “harmonious, just and merciful” place. Love Your Melon is a club that works towards these goals in a unique way. The Salve Regina LYM campus crew is just one of many like it on campuses across the country. These groups are connected to the LYM company, which donates 50% of its apparel profits to pediatric cancer research. The company also works with its nonprofit partners to fund pediatric oncology, research initiatives and give support directly to families battling pediatric cancer. Another part of their mission is to give a hat to every child battling cancer. The purpose of campus crews like the one at Salve is to raise awareness for pediatric cancer, as well as coordinate beanie donation events for “Superheroes,” local kids with cancer.
Love Your Melon is unique from other clubs with the same focus. According to Allyson Storch ’18, the crew’s president, it has “a huge presence on campus, because even people who aren’t on the crew can still support us by wearing a product.” She adds that the LYM crew has the ability to “reach out to and help families directly, we’ve helped a high school girl in Middletown, our superhero Ny’Rell, our superhero London, and more.” Morgan Pierce ‘21, a campus crew member adds that “it’s important to have that hands-on experience so you know that what you’re doing is actually helping real people. It’s one thing to donate money and just never know where it goes, but with LYM you see the results, you put in the work and you get to see your impact on that child.”
Although the actual Love Your Melon crew on campus is quite small (it can only accept 25 members), there are many ways for Salve students to get involved without becoming a crew member. Storch recommends showing up to the crew’s frequent promotional tables around campus, or buying LYM products at loveyourmelon.com. She also advocates for “sharing and liking our crew’s posts on Instagram and Facebook, which is huge.” The crew gains credits for their social media activity and following, which allows them to help out more families. But not only has the LYM crew helped out many families in the area, but it has also impacted the lives of the crew members. Storch says that she’s “reached out to people and met faculty that [she] normally wouldn’t have, and realized how strong of a connection there is within the Salve community.”
Website: www.loveyourmelon.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lymsalveregina/
Instagram: @salve_lymcrew
