Gaithersburg High School Takes on Cancer Fundraiser Challenge

Finding a cure for cancer will take a lot of outside-the-box thinking.

So will funding that find.

Gaithersburg High School is participating in the 2013 Pennies for Patients High School Challenge, which encourages high-school students to think creatively to come up with ways to raise funds to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s National Capital Area Chapter.

The challenge began on Monday, Feb. 4, and lasts four weeks. Sixteen schools in the Washington, DC, area are competing for the title of top fundraiser, according to a statement from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

"The competing schools have set a collective goal of raising $175,000 for the LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families," the statement added.

"Fabulous fundraising events, such as movie nights, fun runs and date auctions, are organized by student groups at each school to engage community participation and assistance in reaching this goal. Last year, 14 high schools collected an incredible $151,308.46," the statement continued.

At the end of the competition, one junior or senior student from the winning high school will be awarded an eight-week summer internship with Pepco at Pepco's headquarters in DC, assisting Pepco's Corporate Citizenship and Social Responsibility Department and working on special projects in the Pepco Edison Place Gallery, a space dedicated to serving area non-profit and art organizations, according to the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's statement.

The 16 high schools taking part in the challenge are:

In Montgomery County:

• Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
• Gaithersburg High School
• James Hubert Blake High School
• Paint Branch Senior High School
• Poolesville High School
• Richard Montgomery High School
• Seneca Valley High School
• Walter Johnson High School
• Walt Whitman High School
• Wheaton Senior High School

In Prince George's County:

• Duval High School
• Frederick Douglass High School

In Northern Virginia (Prince William, Loudoun and Fairfax counties):

• Annandale High School
• Lake Braddock Secondary School
• Osbourn Park High School
• Stonewall Jackson High School

How would you raise money in this challenge? Share your ideas in the comments.