My junior year of college I was fortunate enough to join the Love Your Melon organization. Since then, my friends and family have seen countless posts that urge them to buy merchandise from loveyourmelon.com. But before you get annoyed with these posts, take some time to understand the meaning behind the group.

In October of 2012 Zach and Brian got the idea to put a hat on every child battling cancer in an entrepreneurship class at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. The organization has grown and expanded. Now there are more than 11,000 students participating in 740 different universities across the nation. Not only does Love Your Melon seek to put a hat on every child and help families that have children battling cancer, it also donates 50% of profits to nonprofits that are fighting pediatric cancer.

As a crew member of the Montana Western Love Your Melon Crew, I have witnessed first hand how this organization can benefit families. I have also been changed by the superheros that I meet. Each child that I have met while going on family visits has changed my life for the better. These kiddos have shown each and every crew member what it means to live life smiling. Their joy is contagious and the strength of their families is inspiring.

I joined this group thinking that I would be providing these children with something. However, they have given me more than I have given them. We always hear the cliche sayings on how we should live life to the fullest. That sounds all well and good, however, experiences in life is what makes those sentiments ring true. You can’t have a frown on your face when you see a child that is battling or has battled cancer laughing and smiling. Life gets put in perspective.

It is likely that any struggle you are facing pales in comparison to all that that child has been through. So, thank you. Thank you to the families that I have met, the kids that have changed my life, and the Love Your Melon Crew that has inspired me to always create positive change. Along the way it has created a positive change and growth within myself that would otherwise not have been possible.