The holidays are known as the season of giving, but while many give and receive clothes and toys, some students at Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) are giving something else: the gift of life. Foothill Tech’s Bioscience Academy hosted its annual candy cane fundraiser for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), formerly known as Be The Match, from Dec. 1 to Dec. 12. During this time, students could donate one dollar in their science classrooms and get a candy cane in exchange.
Run annually by the HOSA Service committee within the Bioscience Academy, the fundraiser collects donations for the NMDP, which then uses the money for various causes related to bone marrow transplants and donations, as Bioscience Academy and HOSA Service committee members explained.
“Every fund we take in is given to the National Marrow Donor Program … The money we raise is used in things like stem cell transplants and treatment for different blood disorders, such as leukemia,” Sunny Roberts ‘28, a member of the Bioscience Academy, who helped organize the fundraiser, said.
Leukemia, a type of blood cancer, is estimated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to cause 23,540 deaths in 2025, making up 3.8 percent of all cancer deaths. Bone marrow transplants can be used to treat various types of leukemia, requiring healthy stem cells to give the patient. In order to obtain these stem cells, a donation must be made. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which oversees the national bone marrow donation system, while around 30 percent of patients have a relative who can donate, the remaining 70 percent rely on the donations of unrelated people. By donating to the NMDP, students are able to help out those in need of bone marrow transplants, contributing to a healthier holiday season.
The annual fundraiser gained popularity thanks to promotion around the school from the Bioscience Academy. Members of the Academy reflected on the work that led to the successful results.
“The process of the fundraiser was first advertising it and making sure that people knew what the fundraiser was for … For example, we made videos and hung up posters around science classes [for the] candy cane fundraiser,” Fiona Holt ‘28, one of the executives of the HOSA Service committee, said.
“There was only one main challenge throughout the fundraiser and that was that the candy canes tended to run out faster than we had expected, so to overcome this, we had many HOSA Service members who saw an empty candy cane jar refill it themselves, which cut [the] time of having to wait for the assigned HOSA members to refill the jars,” Sophia Reviakin ‘28, who is on the HOSA Service committee within the Bioscience Academy, said.
The results of the candy cane fundraiser were positive, with HOSA Service committee members discussing the impact the donations will have for those in need of a helping hand during this holiday season.
“I am very proud of how much money we raised and that every dollar goes to helping save lives … the candy cane drive was a massive success,” Roberts said.
The candy cane drive concluded on Dec. 12 with many donations for the National Marrow Donor Program. Through the fundraiser, students were able to contribute to a meaningful cause, bringing a bit of joy to those who need it most.
