The movement can be seen all over Central. Posters displayed, ribbons everywhere, the color gold present throughout the halls.

It’s all a part of “CHS Goes Gold”, a project sponsored by DECA with the purpose of bringing awareness to childhood cancer. The effort is headed by seniors Erika Regier and Meghan Peterson, whose passion for the cause is evident in their partnership with Camp Quality Heartland.

The camp, according to Regier, is a place where cancer patients can go and just be kids. Each camper is paired with one adult guardian and gets to enjoy a variety of activities from swimming, canoeing and fishing to archery and crafts. “We want to send at least two kids to camp,” said Regier. “Not only do we want to raise awareness in the community, we want to bring camp opportunities to these kids.”

It costs $950 to send one kid to camp for a week. However, Regier and Peterson know that the rewards Camp Quality Heartland brings to its campers are worth every penny. As part of their 2014-2015 DECA service project, Peterson came upon the idea for “CHS Goes Gold” through a cancer patient who attended Camp Quality.

“I was volunteering at the Summer Bash for Childhood Cancer when this little girl came on stage,” said Peterson. “She talked about how she couldn’t run or play, and then she went to Camp Quality. She was so happy talking about it. She said it was the childhood she never had.”

Peterson’s experience at the summer bash prompted her to call Regier, and the concept for “CHS Goes Gold” was born.

“Gold is the color of childhood cancer, and Sept. is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. It was perfect,” said Regier.The girls’ goals for their DECA project revolve around the gold theme for not only Sept., but the rest of the school year, as well. As gold symbolizes hope for those children who suffer with cancer at a young age, it also represents the big plans they have to make “CHS Goes Gold” a success.

“We are going to see if we can partner with Film Streams to get The Fault in Our Stars played,” said Peterson. “We will also have candy sales, a car wash and just got a gold out approved for the homecoming game.”

With ribbon, T-shirt and wristband sales also in the making, CHS Goes Gold is taking Central by storm. “It’s cool, because Camp Quality has never done this kind of thing with a high school before,” said Regier. “Everything they do is through volunteers and donations, no government funding.”

Camp Quality’s devotion to cancer patients was another factor that committed Peterson and Regier to helping children receive free tuition to camp. A life-changing experience not only for the kids, but for Regier and Peterson as well.

“We’re emotionally involved at this point, raising awareness as well as money,” said Peterson.

The fact that the public is largely uninformed about childhood cancer is an important motivator for Peterson. For example, so much emphasis is placed on the fight against breast cancer in America, Peterson believes the seriousness of childhood cancer is overshadowed.

“Only 5% of government funding for cancer goes to childhood cancer,” said Peterson. This is a statistic that the DECA students want to change with CHS Goes Gold.

Regier and Peterson’s passion for their cause is also amplified by their time spent with children affected by the brutality of cancer. “I teach swimming lessons to a girl who has a leg tumor. Cancer is a big deal….it hits home for me in a lot of ways,” said Regier.

About 15,780 children in the United States are diagnosed with cancer before the age of 21, and one-fourth of them won’t survive, according to the American Childhood Cancer Organization.“It’s awful to see these kids half my age have suffered more than I will the rest of my life. There is so much in our lives that we take for granted, that I take for granted,” said Peterson.

The message that Regier and Peterson hope to get across through “CHS Goes Gold’s” involvement with Camp Quality is that it is possible to bring those afflicted with childhood cancer a positive force in their lives. “I think this makes a big difference for a lot of people,” said Regier. “It’s real, not just a project that sends us to nationals.”

Along with Regier, Peterson wants “CHS Goes Gold” to have a profound effect on the cancer patients whose camp dreams it is funding. “Children are so innocent. They are supposed to be enjoying life,” said Peterson. “I want our project to show them they are not in it alone. There are people who care, who want them to be happy.”

In the eyes of Regier and Peterson, childhood cancer can only be successfully fought against if people come together to bring awareness. With their project, the DECA students want to show that change can start anywhere. Regier and Peterson believe Central and “CHS Goes Gold” can be a catalyst to this change.