Cold wind blows across the field and students collectively shiver. But a few heartwarming stories later, tears form in their eyes and they’re warmed on the inside.

Whitman’s third annual Walk Away Cancer event Oct. 22 brought members of the community, students and staff together while also successfully raising $50,393, compared to the $24,000 raised in 2014 and last year’s $44,000.

Leadership worked with UMD’s Terpthon organization for the event, and donated all funds raised to the Children’s National Medical Center.

“The goal is to advocate for pediatric cancer and make sure kids with cancer have the same opportunities as we do,” said senior Jaiwen Hsu, who founded the event.

The SGA hoped to have a greater turnout than last year and raise cancer awareness in the community, SGA sponsor Laurie Safran said. The event has become a Whitman tradition ever since Hsu started it in 2014.

“I was treated for cancer at the Children’s Hospital in sixth grade,” Hsu said. “When I left, I decided to start this event to help the kids left behind at the hospital.”

This year, the student band Jam Central Station returned by popular demand, while the new fundraising game,“jail,” had students donating to keep their friend inside a soccer net cell until someone else matched the donation.

“Not only was it funny to ‘lock up’ our friends, but it was also an easy way to raise a good amount of money,” junior Olivia Matthews said.

To honor Matthews, who has battled cancer herself, the Whitmaniacs named their team after her. Teams could compete to see who could raise the most money for pediatric cancer using an online platform.

“It really meant a lot to me that they named it Team Olivia,” Matthews said. “I was really touched to have such a great family of people showing their support for this cause and for me.”

While the event had many games and festivities, the part that resonated with most students was hearing firsthand accounts from cancer survivors, including “miracle children,” who battled and survived cancer against all odds.

“Most of [the speakers] were ‘miracle children’ or even adults who were treated at Children’s Hospital,” junior Emma Forde said. “I think that part really motivated people.”

The SGA and Whitmaniacs continue working together to improve Walk Away Cancer and raise even more money to help fund pediatric cancer treatments in the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s National Medical Center.

“Being in Whitmaniacs gives me the opportunity to try to get as many people to sign up as possible,” senior Keara Sullivan said. “Definitely the most satisfying thing is knowing that we’ve helped raise $50,000 for Children’s Hospital.”