The Marquette Kesem chapter creates magic on and off the Marquette campus. The Kesem club, meaning “magic” in Hebrew, is an organization that offers support for children whose parents suffer from cancer. They host fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for their camps over the summer.
Kesem hosted their annual Pumpkin Smash Event where students could buy a pumpkin for five dollars and then smash them with baseball bats in order to relieve stress.
The Kesem club uses the money they raise to train their volunteers, and to provide a free camp experience for the kids interested. The event raised $350 for the cause.
The camp lasts for two weeks and is held at Jewish Community Center Rainbow Facility in Milwaukee. It costs $500 to send a single child to camp.
“We wanted a fall themed fundraiser, and all the pumpkins were donated so we are able to gain as much money for the club as possible. It has worked well in the past,” Gretchen Steininger, a junior in the College of Nursing, said.
During this specific fundraiser, the ground was covered in snow and some volunteers were standing outside for hours, layered up with coats, hats and gloves to stay warm.
“We would do anything for the kids, like standing out in the snow. It’s hard to put into words but when you think about everything that they have been through, how strong they are, we would do anything for them,” Maddy Near, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, said.
The pumpkin smashing event is only one of the fundraising activities done by the Kesem chapter here at Marquette. They plan to host several more fundraisers throughout the year.
“We want to ensure that the camp is free because these families are already dealing with enough financial struggles, and that the club should offer an escape for them,” Steininger said
“The whole club supports the idea of cura personalis. Cura personalis is a phrase that means having care for the mind, body and spirit of a person. We are always trying to be the best version of ourselves in order to help others,” Erin Burke, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences said.
Steininger describes the club as empowering, magic and like a family.
“We continue this in our daily life, especially because we are not even close to camp. The Kesem message extends beyond the two week summer camp,” Steininger said.
The Kesem message includes supporting children through and beyond their parents’ cancer. Along with the mission to ensure that every child impacted by their parents’ cancer is not alone. In order to achieve this, Kesem holds a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
All three volunteers said that they continue to show up because of the kids.
“We want to help children and want to give back because I know it’s a hard experience … These kids are wise beyond their years and it is so meaningful to make a connection with them,” Steininger said.
This story was written by Ruby Mulvaney. She can be reached at [email protected].
