Last year, as the Cupertino community jumped into full swing attempting to find a bone marrow donor for leukemia patient and Class of 2007 alumnus Jack Chin, Chin described his own chances of his survival as “in a gray area.” One year later, Chin, who found a donor thanks to fundraising and awareness efforts by various organizations including Octagon, will be speaking at MV Octagon’s own Cure Cancer Café.
Cure Cancer Café is scheduled to occur on Saturday, March 9 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aside from the address by Chin, the event will also have a “Seasons” theme and will include entertainment and dining. Tickets to the event
are $20 and can be purchased from any Octagon officer. All proceeds will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
“Last year his brother came, because he himself wasn’t able to make it. This year him being able to come really shows that he was able to find his donor through fundraising ,” junior Octagon officer Jenny Lu said. “He’s a real life example of the effects of fundraising and raising awareness for cancer.”
According to Lu, the event will also include an unlimited photo booth as well as entertainment in the form of singing and dancing acts performed by MVHS students. All ticket-holders will automatically be entered in a raffle to win an iPad.
Attendees will be served food by roughly 30 members of Octagon, who apply for waiter positions and earn service hours for working the event. Senior Nick Chen, who is Waitering Chair for the event, will be in charge of the waiter selection process.
“Cure Cancer Café is a great event because not only is it fun for everyone that goes but it also goes to a great cause and allows people to get service hours,” Chen said. “Waiters will fill out an online application and then we’ll look through them.”
Octagon has historically raised roughly $10,000 annually through Cure Cancer Café, through a combination of ticket sales and silent auctions, and it hopes that this year will be no exception. However, if it is not able to reach this goal, it will contribute the remaining balance from Octagon funds.
“We’re really hoping we get to $10,000,” Lu said. “I’m pretty sure we can do it.”
