The room buzzed with excitement as students filed in for the first-ever meeting. At the beginning of September, Bowie High School hosted the newly formed Helping Oncology Patients Everywhere (HOPE) Club. The club was started by sophomore Tess Sleeper as a way to spread awareness about cancer and give students opportunities to work on service projects.
HOPE club is a student-led group. They focus on working with medical patients and providing people with a chance to explore careers in healthcare. Members have a chance to learn and ask questions about real-world challenges.
“Hope Club is dedicated to promoting cancer awareness, education, and supporting cancer patients and doctors,” Sleeper said. “An oncology experience I had over the summer inspired me to start the club.”
Meetings focus on planning projects, working with non-profit organizations, creating care packages, and setting up fundraisers. Members come together on Wednesdays after school to collaborate and enjoy themselves.
“We plan on fundraising around school for a care package drive for patients,” sophomore Dahlia Wildman said. “We plan to collaborate with Austin Allies and UT Austin.”
According to the sponsor, AP World History teacher Stampley Charles, he originally supported the club because he thought that leaders like Sleeper would help create a meaningful impact on the community.
“When kids have good ideas and have good intentions to involve themselves in charity work or try to help others I always try to support, ” Stampley said. “Student leaders who are a part of this club have a sense of organization and a want to do good to help others.”
Starting a new club comes with many challenges, including organizing meetings, selecting leaders, reaching out to organizations, and even asking for a place to hold activities. Junior Karissa Lou can attest to these struggles since she’s been involved in coordinating meetings for her own club since her freshman year.
“To start a club, first you have to find a sponsor interested in your topic and a partner with strong leadership qualities,” Lou said. “If you’re doing a volunteer-based club, then you can’t be afraid to reach out to organizations.”
Stampley explains that, despite the club being brand new, there’s already a strong interest from many students on campus and organizations.
“The club has a very high participation and is just beginning to work with non-profit organizations,” Stampley said. “We want to impact our community and give more students opportunities to help others.”
Wildman takes her role as co-president seriously and works hard to make everyone feel comfortable. She takes time to collaborate with others, listen to ideas, and ensure everything is always organized.
“I want our club to help people educate themselves on the topic of cancer and inspire others to do the same,” Wildman said. “I’m in charge of organizing meetings and reaching out to community organizations for volunteer work.”
As a new organization at Bowie, HOPE club is planning on reaching out to influence more people. Their goal is to create a place where people with similar interests can come together and contribute to the community.
“We have many goals for this year, one being to raise enough money to provide many care packages for patients and caregivers,” Sleeper said. “Another goal we have for this year would be to reach the most people on campus possible.”
