The Senior Seminar Group, Prep Pow Wow, at Orangeburg Preparatory Schools chose to do a special project during the holiday season this year. Students raised more than $375 for the Mabry Center for Cancer Care at the Regional Medical Center by selling ornaments for $1 in honor or memory of someone affected by cancer. These special ornaments were hung on a live Christmas tree, donated by The Bolen Tree Farm.


Displayed in the McAlister Gymnasium, the tree is adorned with ornaments that are specially personalized with the name of the person that the ornaments were given in honor or memory. The ornaments are color-coded to reflect the types of cancer: green ornaments -- Lymphoma and Leukemia, blue - Colon Cancer, pink ribbons - Breast Cancer, and silver ornaments - other types of Cancer.

Additionally, gold ornaments on the tree are in honor or memory of OP faculty and staff, and the star on top of the tree is in memory of Mr. Leon Shuler, a very beloved janitor who passed away from cancer a few years ago.

Posters line the walls surrounding the tree and include explanations of the project and names of honorees.

“We were sitting in our Senior Seminar class one day, and it just came to us that we needed to recognize those with cancer, and what better way to do that than with a Christmas tree honoring those affected with cancer,” Funderburk explained. “We wanted to give back to those who need help and who just need to be reminded to keep their heads held high, and thought it would be an inspiration to others to have this displayed for our school and those who visit our school to see. We could not have done this project without each other and the support of our school and will always remember this year and how our actions affected those with cancer.”