Valley For The Cause
What is Valley For The Cause?
Every September, the Licking Valley Volleyball Program hosts an event that the whole community is invited to. Each year, money is raised by the volleyball program to be donated to several recipients. This year, the recipients were Susie Schell, Todd Bennett, Matthew Jarrett, and Sherry Selfe; all individuals who have been diagnosed with life-threatening diseases that bring additional pressures on them, their families, and friends. In total, we were able to raise around $6,000 for our recipients.
This past Tuesday, Licking Valley took on the Granville Aces. While each of the teams played intensely, only the Varsity came out triumphant. The work that goes into making this event happen is unmatched. Obviously, the players have been constantly practicing in order to achieve their win, but they’re also staying after school decorating, parents are cheering, baking, and creating prizes for others to bid on, and coaches are organizing the whole event, making sure everything is executed seamlessly. The energy from the event was thrilling.
It’s truly an exceptional event to be a part of every year. The enthusiasm and passion from each and every person in the gym is incredibly touching and I have been very lucky to be a part of it the last 6 years. I would personally like to thank Granville for being a part of the event. Beyond the ambitious players who fought hard for a win, thank you to the parents for attending, donating, and cheering everyone on. We are all very grateful to have such willing participants.
Meet The Recipients
Susie Schell, a known referee in the Licking Valley community, was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, a cancer that has invaded the fibrous tissue of the breast. After an extensive eight hour surgery, Susie’s stomach had been used to reconstruct a new breast. Currently, she is waiting for the area to heal so that the new breast can be lifted. She has also been through 16 radiation treatments, which by all means, is no small number. Susie will be on an estrogen blocker for the next 10 years.
Todd Bennett, a father of many Licking Valley students, developed Crohn’s disease at age 14. Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammation of one’s digestive track. Todd has almost lost his life three times to this disease. Obviously, this is incredibly difficult for the family to deal with. Todd has had 3 major surgeries and additional smaller ones as a result of Crohn's disease. His second major surgery in 2013, a Pancreaticoduodenectomy (“whipple”), took place at the Cleveland Clinic. This is not a common surgery; in fact, he was only the 2nd patient in the nation to have this procedure done for something other than pancreatic cancer. Just this past August, Todd had another major surgery. Todd’s family is persistently fighting for doctors to find further solutions for him.
Sherry Selfe, a mother of both Licking Valley graduates and current students, was previously diagnosed in 2005 with Lymphocytic Lymphoma, which is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. In May, 2019 she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a rare type of cancer in the immune system. As the cancer progresses, it limits the body’s ability to fight. She is currently receiving ongoing chemotherapy treatments while continuing to work and care for her family.
Matthew (Matt) Jarrett, the youngest recipient of the night, was diagnosed at birth with Neurofibromatosis, which causes tumors to grow on nerve endings. Matt is 15 years old and is currently entering his sophomore year at Licking Valley High School. His condition has caused him to develop scoliosis and brain cancer. With the odds stacked against him, Matt had surgery that gave him rods in his back to help correct the scoliosis. However, these rods were taken out last year when there was no improvement. On July 8th, 2019 Matt has a surgery that placed a halo to assist with straightening out his back. Luckily, there was an incredible difference. On August 13th, 2019 he had another surgery, a spinal fusion. Matt plans to return to Licking Valley on September 10th.
Each of our recipients were happy to be apart of the night. They were all very grateful for the lengths the volleyball program has gone through to raise money for them. We are very fortunate to be able to host this event at our school and I hope the effort is continual once my class graduates.