YACS U: Spreading Awareness on Maryland College Campuses

Some of the most inspirational moments are the ones that seem the most “normal” at the time:

After our Young Adult Cancer Support (YACS) Towson student group completed a long, tough day of yard work and spring cleaning for a local cancer patient, I met some of the students to pick up their materials and hear about how it went. When talking to YACS Towson’s Recruitment Chair, the first thing she said was, “I think we should go back. There’s so much more we can do for her.”

This sense of always wanting to do more for people battling cancer was what brought YACS U to fruition in the first place: committed college students with a passion for giving back came together to make their campus a place where no young adult has to face cancer alone.

This year, UCF’s YACS U groups at University of Maryland College Park and Towson University made amazing progress towards building awareness of young adult cancer issues, connecting students to the cancer fight, and giving back to their local communities. In December, YACS College Park raised over $125 in just a few hours to buy gifts for a local family that had lost their father to cancer right before the holidays. YACS CP students also completed a “Saturday of Service” for a local breast cancer patient and her family and hosted a basketball tournament to honor fellow Terp and cancer crusher Zach Lederer.

“Zaching Against Cancer” 3v3 Basketball Tournament

YACS Towson burst onto the scene with visits to the Hope Lodge, a collection for the UCF gift drive, a “Saturday of Service” for a local breast cancer patient, and a fantastic awareness event/fundraiser during Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week.

YACS Towson at Relay for Life

YACS U is expanding! Current 4K for Cancer rider Alice Jiang and her fellow officers brought YACS to UMBC’s campus this past spring, and will continue to engage their fellow students in service, awareness-building, and fundraising for the young adult cancer fight.

Under the leadership of some truly dedicated and inspirational college students, the Ulman Cancer Fund is circling back to its roots on a college campus. These students are not only supporting community members facing cancer, but are also supporting each other. Like so many of their peers, YACS members have all been touched by cancer in some way. The more outreach we do, the more we find that “everyone knows someone” that’s been through a cancer battle.

Towson’s Pi Kappa Alpha brothers cook dinner at the Hope Lodge

Looking ahead to the future, the passion and creativity of these students will definitely take the YACS U program to new heights, and I can’t wait to be a part of it, come the fall. Sending a HUGE thank you from all of us here at the UCF to everyone that volunteered with YACS U this school year…we couldn’t do it without you!

Want to bring YACS to your campus or get involved with our programs at University of Maryland, Towson University, or UMBC? Contact Laura Scruggs at laura@ulmanfund.org today. Cancer changes lives…and so do we!