In the summer of 2009, a tragic car accident killed sixteen-year-old Codi Alexander on her way to work. After five days of hospitalization, she passed away. In loving memory of their close friend, Wendy Cai and Kristy Choi, then students at Richard Montgomery High School, founded Codi’s Hats to bring a bit more joy to children who spent not just five days, but five or more years in the hospital.

According to Choi, “Codi was stubborn in the most beautiful way–in her persistent belief in the goodness of all people. Her love was fierce and boundless. It overflowed to not just friends and family, but immediately to everyone she met. She never judged. That kind of authenticity is so rare.”

The two friends chose to carry out Codi’s legacy, showing the same kind of love to children with terminal illnesses. Every year, Codi’s Hats holds various fundraisers to raise money for plain white hats that club members then decorate and send to cancer patients in local hospitals.

Though most RM students have not yet heard of the club, this year’s leadership team is hoping to make that change. “We want to bring the club to more prominence in the school so that we can have more people join,” said 2015-2016 vice president Ami Wong. “We want to bring cancer awareness to the forefront of public attention.”

Codi’s Hats is sponsored by English teacher Ms. Leah Wilson and meets in the English office, room 257, at least twice each semester to decorate hats. These hats are purchased by club officers using the money raised from fundraisers in the local community. In the past, fundraisers have consisted solely of bake sales.

“We had to stand in the cold having a bake sale at Giant,” president Alisa Gao recounted of one fundraiser last year, “but it was memorable because every time I got someone to donate money, I felt accomplished that I was able to do a good deed and help children in need.”

However, despite the success of these bake sales, Wong and Gao both hope to expand fundraisers to car washes, class wars, and more. In fact, one new business idea they have is selling personalized hats and then donating those funds to cancer research. “Sometimes, it’s better to be more personal, for example, us giving them hats,” said Wong. “It’s better than something that feels more disconnected from them, like just donating to cancer research. Which is why we do both.”

With the growing spectrum of activities and members in Codi’s Hats, the officers are also looking into visiting hospitals personally. “We’ve never heard back from the hospitals yet. Hopefully that’ll change,” said Gao. She, in addition to many members, longs to see the reactions of the hats’ recipients and meet with cancer patients.

As well as her plans for the future of the club, Gao reflects back on her past two years very fondly. “I chose to join because I felt that the club’s intentions and activities were meaningful and for a good cause,” she stated. “And I really like art, so I try to make the hats as nice and fancy as I can.” For all art lovers like Gao, Codi’s Hats would be the club to join.

Wong, on the other hand, does not seem to consider herself an art prodigy, and that is just fine. She personally chose to join the club in remembrance of the short period of time she spent in the hospital as a child: “There was a really comfortable bed and really good sandwiches, but I didn’t want to stay there. I didn’t want to stay there for a long time, you know?”

“As I lay there in bed, I thought, ‘what would it be like if I had to stay here for not just one night, but one week, one month, one year?’” she added. “If I had to stay in that bed for such a short time and feel that way, I want to provide children in this situation the greatest encouragement I can.”