UHS’s HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) is sponsoring a band-aid collection from February 1st to March 1st to support “Noah’s Bandage Project.” 

   University High school is participating in the collection drive this month, and students and staff are encouraged to bring in fun and colorful band-aids. Cardboard boxes with flyers on the outside providing information can be found throughout the school in select classrooms, student services, as well as the clinic. “It’s early in the drive but the response has been great. People have asked a lot of questions and we have collected quite a few packages of some really fun band aids,” said HOSA president, sophomore Raysis Rosales-Alfonso. HOSA members have decorated donation boxes and distributed them around campus. “We felt like choosing a project that was as simple as possible, that would incorporate everyday household items that everyone has, and that’s how we decided on bandaids. In total we have over 20 boxes in different classrooms as well as Ms. Debbie’s office,” stated Rosales-Alfonso.

 Noah’s Bandage Project is a group that collects band-aids for children, hospitals, and other deserving organizations. The money they collect is put towards childhood cancer research and they seek to raise awareness to the underfunded issue of cancer in adolescents.

   Noah Wilson was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 at 6 years old. While he was undergoing various procedures, he noticed that the band-aids being provided were often boring and plain. He wanted to change that. Noah decided to start collecting fun band-aids for his new friends. To him, bandages were more than just a wound cover; they were a “badge of courage.”    

Noah passed away in June of 2015, but not before starting this project and making a difference in the lives of children across the globe. HOSA is striving to not only bring attention to the cause, but also to showcase what their club’s mission is and encourage new members to join. “We don’t have a specific amount expected for the project but we are hoping for as much participation as possible. That’s our main aim: to get students more aware of the purpose of not only the fundraiser but also a club that’s offered at our school,” said sophomore HOSA secretary Theresa Van.