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Feb. 2025 | Vol. 25 Iss. 2
WILLOW CANYON STUDENTS RALLY BEHIND ALUMNUS BATTLING CANCER WITH ‘ELIJAH STRONG’ CAMPAIGN By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
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Willow Canyon student council member Daphne Rich collects a donation from fifth-grader Ari Boye for the school’s “Elijah Strong” campaign. (Photo courtesy of Willow Canyon Elementary)
any students at Willow Canyon Elementary may not know Elijah Bludworth, but that wasn’t their primary concern when they took action to support him. Bludworth, now a sophomore at Alta High, was once a student at Willow Canyon. Patricia Morrison, his fifth-grade teacher, explained, “Once a…” before two student council members, Daphne Rich and Dylan Hose, chimed in: “Wildcat, always a Wildcat.” The Willow Canyon Wildcats take care of their own and in this case, the 12-member student council led a fundraising campaign for Bludworth, who is battling cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. One of their efforts included hanging a large banner on Bludworth’s garage and tying ribbons in Willow Canyon’s school colors around his home. The act was captured by the family’s security camera, which Bludworth’s parents watched from a hospital waiting room. “Elijah was actually in surgery, and my husband and I were in the waiting room, panicking, because when he was in the ICU, and they kept telling us, ‘if he lays down flat, he’ll die,’” his mother, Shannon Bludworth, said. “Then, they decided to perform surgery on him lying down, so we were terrified.” Amid their worries, their phone’s Ring camera notification went off. “My husband looked at it, and said, ‘Oh my gosh, look at these kids, and that’s his (former) teacher.’ We started bawling in the waiting room, and all the other parents who were in the waiting room and heard what was going on, came to watch on our phone when the kids put up the banner,” she said. “It was really cool.” Once Bludworth came out of surgery, he was also
FIRST NEIGHBORHOOD OF ITS KIND IN UTAH
able to see the heartwarming gesture. At Willow Canyon, students created posters and collected donations for “Elijah Strong,” and the student leaders distributed silicone bracelets with the same message. “We wanted everyone at Willow Canyon to show their support with the bracelets and also, to bring $1,” Dylan said. “We raised a lot more than our goal of $300.” According to Morrison, the total raised was closer to $1,800 in cash, in addition to gift cards. Dylan explained each student council representative worked with a specific classroom to collect funds for Bludworth. Many students brought in baggies filled with pennies, nickels and dimes. “Everyone’s piggy banks added up to help raise the funds,” said teacher Wendy Winzenried, noting one student even raised $40 to contribute. “People were very generous; we were blown away.” Daphne said the students wanted Bludworth to know they are supporting him on his journey. “We knew he’d be in and out of the hospital for a really long time, and we wanted to get him stuff that he could do,” she said. “We know he likes videogames, so maybe he could get a Nintendo Switch or something else he’d like. It felt good knowing we were helping someone and every dollar we collected was going to his family.” In addition to money, students also gathered video games, which they planned to exchange at GameStop for ones Bludworth would enjoy. Bludworth, who would turn 16 in late January, is a fan of the San Francisco 49ers and enjoys learning about whales and sharks. Morrison and Winzenried, the student council advisers, delivered the poster and a basket of gifts to the BludContinued page 4
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