On October 22, campus crews and hospitals across the country celebrated National Love Your Melon (LYM) Day. LYM is an apparel brand that aims is to put a hat on the head of every child battling cancer in America. LYM donates 50 percent of profit from all LYM products to support pediatric oncology research and fund charitable programming initiatives.
The Saint Mary’s crew celebrated National Love Your Melon Day with an informational table, set up in an attempt to raise awareness for LYM and their mission. Additionally, the group had the opportunity to visit local hospitals and celebrate with patients there. The SMC crew arrived in full superhero garb to do crafts, handout beanies and share smiles.
The mission of LYM has always been meaningful to Bridget Julian, a junior at Saint Mary’s and the president of the College’s crew.
“It is just a really awesome national celebration of LYM and their mission,” Julian said.
Both crews and hospitals continue their celebrations throughout the week in an effort to support LYM and its associated partners and their contributions to pediatric cancer research. An Instagram post from SMC LYM said, “A children’s smile reminds the SMC Love Your Melon Crew how rewarding it is to make a difference”.
Julian said the easiest way to stay up to date on LYM related events is by following Love Your Melon SMC on social media. The crew utilizes Instagram and Facebook to share its messages.
While National Love Your Melon Day only lasts 24 hours, the LYM crew has events planned for the rest of the semester as well.
“We are really excited to collaborate with Saint Mary’s sports teams, as well as the Office for Civic and Social Engagement to further spread the mission of LYM” Julian said.
Engagement and involvement is a cornerstone of this club’s identity, Julian said, and she hopes involvement will spread beyond Saint Mary’s.
“This year we want to focus on community involvement, not only with Notre Dame but with the greater South Bend community as well,” she said. “One of our main goals this year is to encourage everyone on campus to send in and tag SMC LYM in photos of them in Love Your Melon products”.
While the Saint Mary’s crew is at maximum capacity for members this semester, there are still plenty of opportunities available to get involved with LYM, Julian said. All members of the greater Saint Mary’s community are invited to support the crew at on-campus events.
“We always welcome melon seeds to help plant the seed of LYM around campus and the community,” Julian said.
