As part of a nationwide movement to improve the lives of children battling the hardships of cancer, a group of 20 Oakland University students have developed a new branch of the Love Your Melon organization.

Love Your Melon is an organization founded by two students from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. in 2012, whose mission is to provide a hat to every child battling cancer in America. The group is partnered with CureSearch and The Pinky Swear Foundation.

To date, more than 2,500 college students across the country have signed on as ambassadors to sell and donate hats to the cause.

“When I heard about Love Your Melon (LYM) and their mission, I wanted to find a way to become involved as soon as possible,” Alisha Wheeler, junior at Oakland and founder of the Oakland University LYM Campus Crew, said. “After visiting the website, I contacted the organization about starting our own Campus Crew, and they got us started right away.”

The Oakland University LYM Campus Crew is an exclusive crew composed of students determined to improve the lives of children battling all types of childhood cancer through promoting, representing and selling Love Your Melon products. Additionally, LYM ambassadors work to represent the brand through their personal engagements and coordination with various charitable programming initiatives.

“In order to complete activities such as home visits, personal deliveries and hospital visits, we are required to earn a certain number of credits,” Wheeler said. “One credit is the equivalent of one Love Your Melon item sold.”

The Oakland University LYM Campus Crew has earned 114 credits so far, and members are looking forward to various opportunities to complete home and hospital visits dressed as superheroes.

“By visiting these kids and giving them the chance to meet their favorite superheroes, we help provide an experience they will never forget as well as allow them to visit with individuals outside of their immediate family and medical staff,” Wheeler said.

Although the Oakland University Love Your Melon Crew is not accepting new crew members, individuals may show their support through purchasing LYM products on loveyourmelon.com and following the Crew on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

All Love Your Melon products are made in the United States and are soft woven for children that have lost their hair. For every LYM product purchased, 50 percent of the net proceeds are donated to cancer research and immediate support for families.

“The challenges these kids go through on a daily basis are unimaginable for college kids like us, but we strive to make their day a little better,” Wheeler said. “Anything we can do to help is worth it and it is such a cool opportunity to hear their stories and make them smile.”