E. Wilson Morrison students rally for ‘Heavenly Hats’ for young cancer victims nationwide

At 1:30 p.m. Friday afternoon, October 7, E. Wilson Morrison Elementary School students staged a “Heavenly Hats Parade” as part of a nationwide fundraising initiative to raise money for young cancer victims around the country. Royal Examiner asked EWM Student Support Coach and Early Act Faculty Advisor Michael Williams about the school’s entry into the Heavenly Hats Foundation effort and that effort’s origins. Williams explained receiving an email from the foundation alerting him to the program and asking if the school would be interested in joining the effort. “And I said ‘of course’ – and our kids have raised about $230, which is a really good effort for them,” Williams said as he and other school staff and administrators awaited the coming of the student body’s Heavenly Hat parade under sunny fall skies and temperatures climbing toward the mid-70s.

Ready, Steady, GO – the EWM door opens to its first Heavenly Hats Parade in support of young cancer victims during their treatments

In the spirit of event, even our reporter Roger Bianchini sports a ‘fun’ hat.

And talk about great things growing from humble beginnings!!! – Pointed in the right direction by Williams, a little online research indicated that Heavenly Hats began with one sympathetic and caring 10-year-old just over two decades ago. A visit to the Heavenly Hats Foundation website noted that in 2001 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, then-10-year-old Anthony Leanna had an idea to help young cancer patients. Twenty-one years later, it has evolved into a 501-C3 organization that has distributed new hats to individual youthful cancer patients and the hospitals that treat them around the nation.

“It started with a young man who just had a passion when he saw some children suffering from cancer. And he started saving his money and buying hats, started reaching out to other groups to try and raise money to do the same,” Williams explained to Royal Examiner, as he does in the linked Royal Examiner video. “And from that, he got a website going, and it became a nationwide thing called Heavenly Hats.” Williams added that as his effort grew, the young man didn’t initially ask for money to help buy the hats but to pay for postage to mail them around the country to children and medical centers treating children for cancer.

“And that turned into not only people sending for that, but then people raising large sums of money for him to be able to buy more hats. And it’s turned into this really cool organization where he’s been able to supply thousands and thousands of hats,” Williams said, somewhat underestimating the numbers. According to the Heavenly Hats Foundation website, the number of new hats distributed to youthful cancer patients suffering hair loss has grown to over 4.5-million new hats.

“It’s our hope and prayer that one day a cure for cancer and the many other illnesses that affect our family and friends will be found, and eventually, no one will be in need of a Heavenly Hat™, but until then, we’ll keep sending these special hats (and smiles) to our Hat Heroes. Thank you to all of our donors without you, we would not be able to continue on with our mission,” the Heavenly Hats Foundation website states.

Watch the E. Wilson Morrison’s student body rally for their peers with cancer in this exclusive Royal Examiner video (by Mark Williams) and below stills – and QUITE the enthusiastic and creative, Heavenly Hats Parade it was, with EWM Principal Lisa Rudacille, staff, and even some media joining in the hat-wearing spirit of the event.

Heavenly Hats Foundation website photo of Anthony Leanna some years after, as a 10-year-old in 2001, he launched the idea behind creation of the 501-C3 that has distributed over 4-million hats to cancer treatment youths suffering from hair loss. And 21 years later EWM students carry on that tradition, raising $230 for the cause.