Landram's Light Cancer Totes
100 Totes Ready for Pick-Up
In memory of seventh-grade English teacher Jackie Landram, Penn Middle School in the Penn-Trafford School District donated 100 tote bags filled with comfort items for cancer patients to UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at UPMC East in Monroeville, where Jackie was a patient. The charity Landram’s Light was created to honor Jackie's legacy of living graciously with resilience, integrity, and tenacity (G.R.I.T.). Supported by the Penn Trafford administration, the staff and students conducted fundraisers throughout the year to contribute towards the totes.
Packing the Totes
The patients who received the totes were surprised by the gift and very appreciative. One patient specifically remarked on how uplifting the supportive messages were. Landram’s Light is an ongoing effort. Organizers hope to increase the number of tote bags they can donate in subsequent years. “Jackie had a profound impact on the lives of everyone she met,” said Meredith Hodge. “We are all just trying to shine her light and carry on her legacy of living with GRIT.”
Items in the Totes
Each customized Landram’s Light tote contained encouraging notes from students and items intended to ease the burden of treatments: a blanket, water bottle, beanie, puzzle books, hand sanitizer, lip balm, tissues, hand warmers, and hard candy.
Please let the Penn Middle school know how much I appreciated the beautiful bag. It is everything that we need. The notes handwritten from the students were so touching. When I read mine that had Zach’s note I cried. It warms my soul and heart to see that kindness and compassion are being instilled in these young people. Kudos to the teacher or teachers and the principal. Thank you for such a wonderful surprise! Keep up the amazing work.
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