Marshall University senior Peyton Riddick hopes to increase student awareness of the Love Your Melon campaign.

Love Your Melon is a Minnesota based non-profit charity that was started in 2012 by two college sophomores named Zachary Quinn and Brian Keller.

The two men started the non-profit with the goal of helping those in need, specifically, children battling cancer. On December 23, 2013, the organization received 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service, which established the charity as a non-profit.

According to the Love Your Melon website “[Love Your Melon] has since worked to establish a network of college students called Love Your Melon Ambassadors who are responsible for spreading the mission of the organization in their own city. To date, more than 2,000 college students at over 175 different school nationally have signed ambassadors to sell and donate hats.”

Last semester Peyton Riddick, a Marshall University senior and Crew Captain for Love Your Melon, was shopping for beanies online when she came across Love Your Melon.

“I thought they were cute at first, then I started reading about it and I thought it was very interesting and I wanted to start a chapter on Marshall’s campus. ” Riddick said.

Riddick then contacted Love Your Melon, learned the requirements and started a chapter.

The non-profit originally used a buy one, give one program. However, Love Your Melon has recently launched a new model to replace the buy one give one program.

In this new program fifty percent of net proceeds on every product sold will be donated to the Pinky Swear Foundation and CureSearch, both organizations dedicated to helping children who are diagnosed with cancer.

After the chapter reaches 100 beanies sold, the ambassadors for each chapter, dressed as super heroes, then take the beanies and pass them out to the children at local hospitals.

Since starting up the chapter at Marshall Riddick says that student participation and awareness has increased.

“I was really happy with the response at Rec Fest.” said Riddick.

The Marshall chapter has not yet reached its goal of 100 beanies sold so they have not been able to make the hospital visit yet.

However, Riddick says “the most rewarding thing is going to be going to the hospital and handing out the beanies to the kids.”

If you are interested in becoming a part of the Love Your Melon campaign on Marshall’s campus you can contact Peyton Miller at [email protected].

Riley Mahoney can be contacted at [email protected]