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By Laura Marreel, I.J. Holton Student Council Advisor

Everyone at I.J. Holton Intermediate School in Austin has been affected by cancer.  Students, teachers, and staff have had friends, family, coworkers, and students who have battled (or are battling) this horrible disease. So, I.J. Holton Student Council decided to do what they could to support the scientists and their cancer research at The Hormel Institute in town.  

In March, Holton Student Council challenged our three fifth grade teams and three sixth grade teams to two weeks of a pirate-themed fundraiser called, “Battle of the Booty!” For eight days, Student Council members collected, counted, and sorted money donated by their team, and encouraged everyone to do their part.  

On Thursday, May 11, the Student Council presented Dr. Gasper Kitange, MD, PhD, and Brenna Gerhart from The Hormel Institute with a check for $2,533.74!  Dr. Kitange is an Associate Professor at The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, in Austin. 

According to The Hormel Institute, Dr. Kitange is currently researching the epigenetic and non-epigenetic mechanisms that influence the evolution of therapy resistance in glioblastoma and leveraging the results to discovery of novel anticancer agents. 

I.J. Holton students and staff want to thank The Hormel Institute and scientists like Dr. Kitange for their dedication and efforts to researching, treating, and, one day, curing cancer.