2015 2015: New student group strives to warm heads and hearts of children battling cancer

Students bring Love Your Melon mission to UMass Dartmouth; credited for 148 hats sales with profits to go toward supporting children with cancer

In less than a month, sixteen UMass Dartmouth students have been credited with providing 148 hat sales. The profit from those sales will go directly to support children battling cancer. The students are part of the Love Your Mellon Crew at the University, joining a national apparel brand run by college students across the country on a mission to support and give a hat to every child battling cancer in America.

UMass Dartmouth Love Your Mellon ambassadors include:

Leadership Board:

Captain- Nicole Harris ’16, of Pembroke, MA

Vice-Captain- Gabrielle Colonies ‘16, of Sutton, MA

Public Relations- Lauren Antonucci ‘17, of Huntington, NY

Secretary- Brianna Greene ’17, of Pembroke, MA

Crew Members:

Justine Martignetti ’16, of Medford, MA

Summer Jones ’16, East Bridgewater, MA

Julia Fernald ‘16, of Webster, MA

Rachel Bain ’16, of Mansfield, MA

Marissa Collins ‘16, of Natick, MA

Hannah Amirault ’16, of Bridgewater, MA

Amanda Robinson ‘16, of Danvers, MA

Marina Kowaleski ‘16, of Rutland, MA

Stephanie Babineau ‘17, of Malden, MA

Briana McLellan ’16, of Medford, MA

Erica Hammond ‘17, of Warwick, RI

Jessica Sullivan ‘16, of Bridgewater, MA

Those interested in supporting the Love Your Mellon mission, can purchase hats, ranging from caps to beanies, and at checkout select the UMass Dartmouth Love Your Mellon Crew to support.

Love Your Melon was founded in an entrepreneurship class at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota by two friends, Zachary Quinn and Brian Keller. On a mission to improve the lives of children battling cancer since October 2012, Love Your Melon began with the simple idea of putting a hat on every child battling cancer in America.

Love Your Melon has reserved more than 45,000 hats to donate to children battling cancer in the United States through its original buy one, give one program. This is equal to the number of children currently undergoing cancer treatment in the country. The hats are donated in person at hospitals nationally by Love Your Melon college ambassadors dressed as superheroes.

To celebrate reaching this goal and further expand its impact, the apparel brand has partnered with the Pinky Swear Foundation to provide immediate support for children battling cancer and with CureSearch for Children’s Cancer to fund research initiatives to beat childhood cancer completely.

Love Your Melon has launched a new model to replace its buy one, give one program - fifty percent of net proceeds on every Love Your Melon product sold will be donated to the Pinky Swear Foundation and CureSearch. Every year there are 15,000 children in the country given new cancer diagnoses according to Love Your Melon. Through funding from future product sales, Love Your Melon will continue to give hats to all of these kids in addition to the 45,000 it has already committed to.

To date, more than 2,500 college students at more than 225 different schools nationally have signed on as ambassadors to sell and donate hats. As a part of the new partnership with CureSearch and The Pinky Swear Foundation, ambassadors will work directly with both organizations in the fight against cancer.   

If you know a child battling cancer that has not received a Love Your Melon hat yet, visit the "Request a Hat" page to request a hospital delivery. Supporters can follow the continued success in warming heads and hearts of the UMass Dartmouth Love Your Mellon Crew on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.