WHS students discover power of serving others in earning Dempsey Challenge award

By Lorraine Glowczak

Giving back to the community and fundraising for a good cause is a way to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others and become part of something bigger than ourselves.

Windham High School students participated in the Annual
Dempsey Challenge in Lewiston and discovered what it
means to give back to your community. Some of the WHS
students in this year's Dempsey Challenge are, from left,
Morgan Clark, Brooklyn Roy, Anna Bowie, Nate Plati,
Miles Morrison, Sean LeBel, and Patrick Dempsey, the 
actor and founder of the Dempsey Center.
SUBMITTED PHOTO 

For 15 Windham High School (WHS) students, the opportunity to make a positive impact became much more than a day of volunteering – it became a powerful experience that gave them a deeper understanding of themselves and what it truly means to be part of a community.

On Saturday, Sept. 19, the 15 students participated in the 18th Annual Dempsey Challenge in Lewiston. The challenge is a run, walk and bike fundraiser where the students saw firsthand the impact cancer can have on individuals and their families, and discovered how even a small act of service can make a significant difference in someone’s life.

Their commitment to giving back also earned them the award for the high school team with the most participants, an honor they captured for the second consecutive year.

WHS Junior Nate Plati, the organizer of the WHS team, said he is dedicated to helping others.

“I am a big advocate for giving back and being of service. Not only that, I learn a lot in the process,” Plati said. “With this experience, I learned what it really means to empathize with others. Hearing the stories of cancer survivors and families who have been affected by a loved one’s cancer made me realize how much people can go through and how important it is to be there for them.”

As Plati mentioned, part of the day included listening to stories from those who are experiencing or have experienced cancer and/or from family members whose loved one had cancer and were able to share their own stories.

For the students, this was one of the most impactful moments of participating in the Dempsey Challenge.

Morgan Clark, also a junior, said that her participation was an eye-opening experience.

“Seeing how many people that cancer touches was very heart-wrenching,” she said. “I saw one of my seventh-grade teachers there and I didn’t know that she had cancer. It was moving to connect with people I didn’t know and wouldn’t normally talk to. It was honestly beautiful to see everyone rally around each other and support one another.”

Junior Sean LeBel agreed with both Plati and Clark about the day’s activities and said the experience helped him to see things a little differently.

“Even though cancer is such a difficult thing, there was still so much happiness and hope throughout the day,” he said. “It made me appreciate my own life more and realize that I shouldn’t take things for granted. You don’t have to go through cancer yourself to understand how important it is to support others and be grateful for what you have.”

The mission of the Dempsey Center is “to make life better for people impacted by cancer through no-cost comprehensive supportive care” and Plati said that was obvious at the event.

“I was proud to see the support from all around the world,” he said. “It shows that no matter what you are going through, you are not alone.”

There were other unexpected discoveries by WHS students participating in the Annual Dempsey Challenge.

For Clark, the experience helped her to understand the importance of offering support for others during difficult times. She believes that being there can remind people that they are not alone.

“It doesn’t cost anything to let people know you care,” she said. 

LeBel learned that the financial aspect of medical bills is very expensive.

Helping one person to pay their bills can change their life for the better,” he said.

Perhaps Plati’s unexpected discovery might be a surprising fact for many.

“My generation, the Gen Z, often gets a bad rap,” he said. “We have the reputation for only caring about ourselves. But this proves that there are people in our generation that do care and come together to make a difference in others’ lives.”

According to Plati, the Dempsey Challenge event raised about $2 million. The Dempsey Center website emphasizes that all the money raised is used and goes directly to the services provided by the organization, which includes free cancer programs, counseling, and support for individuals, caretakers, and families impacted by cancer.

For more details about the Dempsey Center or to make a donation, visit www.dempseycenter.org. <

Windham High School joins Dempsey Challenge cancer initiative

Actor Patrick Dempsey, the creator of the 'Dempsey
Challenge,' hosted a Zoom meeting on Sept. 24 with 
Windham High School juniors to thank them for
raising the most money of any class for the initiative 
during homecoming week activities at the school. All
told, WHS students raised $1,715 for the program, which
assists cancer patients across the state and virtually.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE    

By Ed Pierce

When done right, a school helps shape the character and the future of students by motivating them to show respect and to care for others. This premise was at the heart of Windham High School’s homecoming initiative in which students aimed to improve the lives of local cancer patients by raising money for the Dempsey Challenge.

Last week, the WHS freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior classes staged a competition to see which one could raise the most to support the annual fundraiser created by Maine native and actor Patrick Dempsey, who tragically lost his mother Amanda to cancer in 2014 and created treatment centers to help others overcome the disease.

According to Philip Rossetti, WHS Assistant Principal, the school chose to participate in the Dempsey Challenge as a homecoming activity to connect with the community.

“In the past we have done a food drive or change wars to support local food pantries. We have several staff and students that have been impacted by cancer and the Dempsey Center has been a great support to many in the RSU community,” Rossetti said. “Rod Nadeau, a counselor in the Katahdin Program, approached us about the opportunity to participate as a school in the Dempsey Challenge. Administration reached out to Pete Small, teacher and coach at WHS, who also helps coordinate homecoming activities to see if this would be a great fit for our school.”

He said that both Nadeau and Small have been active participants for several years in the Dempsey Challenge, which is traditionally held on the last weekend in September and features a separate run and a bike run for participants.

“When looking at the proposed timeline this meshed well with our homecoming events and is an organization that has and continues to support so many within the RSU,” Rossetti said.

Across the state, more than 2,000 individuals took part in the 2021 Dempsey Challenge event which raised a new record of $1.3 million to support cancer centers in Lewiston and South Portland.

That total includes $1,715 raised by Windham High students with the junior class raising $560, the sophomores $475, the freshmen $355, and the seniors $325.

For their winning efforts, members of the WHS junior class participated in surprise Zoom call with Dempsey himself on Friday, Sept. 24.

Dempsey said he was grateful Windham High students agreed to help with the challenge and said he plans on visiting the school soon and thanking the students personally for their efforts to help others. He praised the junior class for raising the most money overall.

“I certainly can’t thank you enough,” Dempsey said. “You’ve set the tone now in the school and it’s such a remarkable thing to want to help those impacted by cancer by saying we support you.”

Students in the junior class told Dempsey that their parents also got involved in the fundraising effort and that boosted them to collecting the most for the Dempsey Challenge during the week of homecoming activities at the school.

“We’re grateful you did that,” Dempsey said. “I’m just part of a very small team at the Dempsey Center and actions like this create stronger vibrations for everybody associated with what we do.”

He said that the Dempsey Center makes life better for people managing the impact of cancer with locations in Lewiston, South Portland, and through a new third virtual location called Dempsey Connects. Dempsey said all services are provided at no cost and include treatment, counseling, consultations, support groups, grief and bereavement sessions, specialized service for youth, massage, reiki and acupuncture.

“As soon as I can work it into my schedule, I’ll be at Windham High School to thank everyone,” Dempsey said. “Doing something like this is the most satisfying thing in the world and we are grateful for the help.” <