Herndon High's Future Business Leaders Have One Question to ASK You

A group of Herndon's future business leaders are working together to take on an important challenge—and they need your help.

They are Herndon High School's Future Business Leaders of America, and their mission is to help out Virginia families of children battling cancer.

Herndon High's FBLA chapter raises money each year to benefit ASK, a childhood cancer foundation out of Richmond. ASK collects donations to help families with medical bills, and travel expenses, food and housing so they can stay with their children while getting treatment at VCU in Richmond.

ASK helps around 1,000 Virginia families each year.

Lauren Eckert, a business and information technology teacher at HHS and an adviser to the FBLA program, said the students were inspired to try and help after hearing from a mother whose family had benefited from ASK.

"In August, [we] had the opportunity to hear one of the ASK board members, Victoria, speak about the hardship families go through while getting treatment for their child and how much our support means to their community. Victoria shared that her daughter, who suffered from pediatric cancer, had medical bills for one year of treatment totaling over $3,000,000," Eckert said.

So the students decided to start a gift card drive to offset some of the regular expenses they incur during their journeys.

"These gift cards will be used in a variety of ways—to help families purchase gas, food, and prescriptions; as prize box items to go to pre-teen and teen patients after receiving treatments; and as holiday gift items for the patients," Eckert explained.

Examples of gift cards that most often help the families of child cancer patients include Target and Walmart stores, and Exxon and Shell gas stations.

Herndon High's Future Business Leaders of America will be collecting gift card donations through Dec. 2.

Donations can be dropped off at the school or mailed to: Herndon High School, Attn: FBLA, 700 Bennett St., Herndon, VA 20170.

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