Teachers and students opposed each other in a friendly yet competitive game of flag football. Students wearing brightly colored bandanas in the stands cheered on their peers as Mr. Cottrell tried to score a touchdown with Ms. Christy on his shoulders. As the football sailed past her in the air, she had her arms open wide to catch it while she sat on his shoulders. Megan Merril laughed at the silliness of all of this, knowing that through taking part in the flag football game, everyone helped her make a difference.

An eighth grader at Revere Middle School, Merril decided to put together a fundraiser on May 22 on the Revere high School turf to raise money for the oncology floor at Akron Children’s Hospital. She, along with her mom, her teachers and her friends, gathered donations and raised money through a raffle. Together, Merril and her helpers raised $1,500 for the hospital.

Merril’s personal experience with cancer inspired her to organize this fundraiser so that she could give back. Doctors diagnosed Merril, who is now in remission, when she was in fifth grade, so she explained that wanted to help other children going through the same thing.

“I know what [it’s] like to be on the oncology floor and to be sick, so I know that it’s really hard for them,” Meril said.

Merril enlisted her friends Jackie Robert and Nicole Langenfeld as well as assistant principal Todd Casey, history teacher Kevin Verde, and her mother, Kim Merril. Kim elaborated on how her family’s personal experience with Megan’s cancer, and how it inspired them to help others.

“We know that things happen for a reason. We believe that our family went through this difficult time so that we could help so many others. Having these kinds of fundraisers helps raise money so the hospital can help others,” Kim said.

To raise money, Merril and her friends received donations from local businesses, and they organized a staff versus students flag football game. The students at Revere Middle School could purchase a ticket to enter a raffle from which Merril drew the names of the lucky participants. Students could have entered the raffle for one dollar or have bought a bandana and entered the raffle for three dollars.

“We chose twenty students to participate in the game and stand on the sidelines, but there were more than we could count who entered the raffle. A lot of kids wanted to volunteer, and they were really happy about doing this. Probably 100-150 students entered the raffle,” Merril said.

Roberts explained how the three girls used their study hall time at school to plan and prepare for the fundraiser. They called local businesses and put up flyers around the school. She noted that together they made a difference for the children on the oncology floor.

“Megan’s doctor gave us a tour around the oncology floor to show us what the donations [were] going towards. It was very sad to see the kids, but great to see the difference we could make to help them,” Roberts said.

Meril noted that the flag football game turned out to be a huge success, and she is looking to make it an annual event.

“The game turned out so well, and we had so much going on, that all the kids loved it. It was a really big hit, and we’re going to try and do it again. We’re going to try to make it a yearly [event], we’re going to try to get more kids involved with the process, so they can carry on the tradition,” Merril said.

Merril believes through the fundraiser, she made a difference and helped the children in the hospital. She gave the money that they raised to the hospital so that helps provide patients with general entertainment and improves their overall comfort at the hospital.

“We gave back a lot of money, so it’s probably going to make the [patients] on the oncology floor a lot more comfortable and give them things to do. I think it will just make them happier while they’re going through such a terrible time in their lives,” Merril said.

Kim noted that she is very proud of Megan’s initiative to raise money for the hospital and that she has successfully fundraised for Akron Children’s Hospital in the past. She explains that Megan has the ability to bring a lot of awareness to cancer.

“She is a spectacular young lady who has shown incredible strength and determination. She has done multiple speaking engagements for [Akron Children’s Hospital], organized 2 of her own fundraisers participated and won the [Akron Children’s Hospital] Dancing for the Kids event and was the spokesperson for a Revere Football fundraiser supporting [Akron Children’s Hospital]. She has also done multiple speaking engagements for The American Cancer Society including a Coaches vs Cancer fundraiser where she was a guest speaker alongside Jim Tressel. There aren’t many 13 year old girls who have made this kind of difference in our community,” Kim said.

Megan Merril hopes that she made a difference through the flag football fundraiser. She wants to continue the annual tradition of the football game, and she will continue to give back to the hospital because she knows what the patients are going through.