Sumner high school student makes a positive difference

Published 3:45 pm Thursday, April 30, 2009

By Teresa Herriman, The Courier-Herald

To some people, teenagers are a self-centered lot. Finding a young person who cares for others, they reason, is about as likely as finding the cure for breast cancer in a bottle of water. But then they obviously don't know 16-year old Bonney Lake resident Cody Collins or Athena Water.

Collins, a Sumner High School junior, met Trish May, founder of Athena Water, at a teen leadership event at the Museum of Flight. A 512-hour volunteer at the museum and active school leader, Collins spoke to the group about making a difference in school, while May spoke about making a difference in the world. Together, they are hoping to make a difference in the lives of those diagnosed with breast cancer.

May spoke of how she parlayed her professional life as a former marketing executive at Microsoft and her personal battle with breast cancer into the creation of a not-for-profit foundation committed to eliminating women's cancers by advancing research and education. At the end of her speech, when May asked for ideas for how to reach out to other people, Collins said, he thought about the school's vending machines.

Not one to waste time, Collins sought out Sumner High School Assistant Principal Debbie Barlow, who organized a meeting with Stephanie Anderson, director of food services for the school district.

"Stephanie is always really open to anything that is good for the kids," Barlow said.

When Anderson met with Collins, Barlow said, they quickly formed a bond. "I was so impressed with the way he thinks," Anderson said. "It's easy to do good things when people think that way."

Both Barlow and Anderson were impressed not only with the simplicity of the idea, but by the young man who was promoting it. "I was motivated by his energy and it seemed so comfortable for him to want to do a good thing," Anderson said. "If kids are given the opportunity to do the right thing, they will."

After meeting with Collins, Anderson, who purchases food and beverages for the entire district, called May for more information.

She learned that the foundation May created, Athena Partners, contributes 100 percent of the net profits of the sale of the bottled water to Northwest cancer research initiatives. The program is similar to Paul Newman's food line, Newman's Own, which donates net profits from the sale of salad dressing, popcorn, tomato sauce and lemonade to charity.

May reasoned that by selling a commodity that everyone can use, her organization could raise awareness and significant amounts of money for early-stage research to help cure breast and gynecological cancers affecting women. May herself was diagnosed with breast cancer just a few months after her mother's death from ovarian cancer. Presently, the 49-year old May is cancer-free.

According to the Athena Web site (www.athenapartners.org), Puget Sound has the highest incidence of breast cancer among the nine U.S. urban areas tracked by the National Cancer Institute. The American Cancer Society says that Washington state has the highest incidence of breast cancer in the country, with 145.2 cases per 100,000 population.

Founded last July, Athena Partners is dedicated to funding Northwest research institutions and has selected the following to receive a portion of the funds they raise: the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the University of Washington Medical Research Center and Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research.

"She was everything he (Collins) said she was," Anderson said. Further, Anderson determined "the price was good. Plus, the money goes to a good cause."

Anderson and Barlow say the positive effect of Collins' unselfish act has struck a personal chord. "We felt so good about this gift from Cody," Anderson said. "This was a present for us."

On Monday, Sumner High School began selling Athena Water in vending machines on the school campus.

Athena water may also be purchased at Safeway, QFC, Tully's coffee shop, and most recently, Costco. Athena Partners continues to open additional outlets.

Teresa Herriman can be reached at therriman@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald