Students revisited the empty campus to donate bags of recyclables and cash donations on Friday October 16. Renaissance’s student-ran committee prepared their annual Conquer Cancer, a month-long series of fundraisers for Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The group is currently preparing for the second date of their recycling drive on Friday October 30. Students can drive through the front parking lot and leave their bags of recyclables in front of the Hacienda from 4-6.

Senior Joelyne Garcia said, “We wanted to find ways to fundraise with this pandemic. Instead of what we normally do for fundraising, we had to think outside of the box on ways to make social distancing possible and for anyone to do on a daily basis. We decided on recycling because it doesn’t require a lot of hard work and it not only benefits our fundraising, but the environment as well.”

Renaissance advisor Christopher Reeder and Principal Jeff Hess waited in front of the school with a cash collection bucket and growing pile of trash bags. Recyclable donations gradually accumulated, ending in more than 50 bags for the first event.

“I anticipate that more people will come by and drop off their recycles they have been doing for a month. If you haven’t been doing recycling, that’s completely okay, there’s still time. We need all the help and support we can get,” said Garcia.

Funds from the event will be donated to Whittier’s PIH Breast Health Center and the Mary Mallen scholarship, a scholarship made in honor of the past LAHS guidance counselor who passed of breast cancer.