Linda Petersen
Intermountain Catholic
SALT LAKE CITY — When he was 6 years old, Nicholas Falkner and his mother, MJ Ahlin, started a program called Good Neighbor Nicholas. One afternoon a week he would read to 2-year-olds at Neighborhood House, a facility that provides day care for low-income children and special-needs adults.
That was the beginning of a lifetime of service for the Judge Memorial Catholic High School sophomore.
Since sixth grade, Nicholas, now 16, has visited a local senior care center most weeks to do what he can to brighten the days of the residents. He also helps care for the grounds at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, where the family attends Mass, and at St. Vincent de Paul School. In addition, he currently is engaged in a service project to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Nicholas was nominated to be part of the fundraising initiative by his uncle Ron Weiss, a pathologist who specializes in leukemia and lymphoma and serves on the board of directors of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
There are 11 teams working with the candidates to raise money for the organization. Nicholas’ team, which is made up of family, friends and classmates, is called Falkner’s Fighters.
The candidate whose team raises the most money will be named Student of the Year.
The seven-week campaign, Relentless for a Cure, roughly coincides with Lent, so Nicholas chose to focus his efforts on Lenten almsgiving with the goal of raising $50,000 for LLS. At press time, he was almost halfway to that goal and was finalizing donations from several corporate sponsors.
Those who raise more than $50,000 can choose where the funds will be spent.
“Hopefully, I can choose all cancer research because I know it affects so many people’s lives,” Nicholas said.
He has set up a web page at http://events.lls.org/ut/saltlakesoy19/relentless, where he encourages people to donate to the cause. He has also sent out several email blasts to raise funds.
“I just want to remind people that Lent is not just about fasting but also for almsgiving,” he said, adding that “it’s important to sacrifice in Lent, especially for a good cause.”
Along with his Lenten fundraiser, Nicholas, who is a member of Judge’s golf team, organized an event last week, Mastering the Cure, where individuals could compete for a prize by guessing the top three champions in the Masters Tournament. Each paid a $25 entry fee, which went to the fundraising campaign.
The winning team will be announced at an LLS banquet on April 27 where the Student of the Year will receive a $2,500 scholarship. Other scholarships will be awarded for community involvement, volunteerism and for supporting the mission statement of the society.
Since it was founded in 1949, LLS has provided $1.3 billion in grants and almost $330 million in financial assistance to those battling these two diseases.
Those who would like to help can make donations through April 27 at Nicholas’ webpage or by mail to LLS, 2840 Floribunda Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84117.
Nicholas’ work with the LLS initiative has made him eligible for Judge’s Presidential Service Award, which is given to those students who perform more than 250 hours of service.
Service has always been a priority for their family, Ahlin said, and the service element that is stressed in local Catholic schools is one of the reasons she and her husband, Dane Falkner, have made giving their son a Catholic education a priority.
“One of the things about Catholic schools is that they make service such an important part of your experience,” Ahlin said. “Charity becomes such a part of your daily life.”
Along with the opportunity to help those struggling with these cancers, the campaign has helped build Nicholas’ leadership and team-building skills, he said.
“This campaign is a great learning experience for him,” his mother said.
After high school, Nicholas plans to attend college and to become a surgeon.
“This is what I can do to help people and to make a difference now,” he said of the fundraising campaign. “Blood research is going to be one of the major things to find cures for cancer.”
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