At only two years old, Arthur Blankenship, son of Dillin employee Jerome Blankenship, is fighting for his life. Arthur has a rare, aggressive form of cancer called Ewing Saracoma.

On Feb. 18, Linfield’s Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP) held men and women’s basketball games and collected donations before and during the games, as well as throughout both of the halftimes.

“The Athletic Training Education Program typically does a couple of service projects each year,” senior Brynna Fuller said in an email. “When we heard about Arthur’s situation, we knew we wanted to help him and his family, especially because his family is part of the Linfield community.”

Since Arthur was diagnosed, only one of his parents has been able to work at a time.

Because his medical bills are so high, his family is in a tight financial situation.

The ATEP had two student athletic trainers set up a table in the HHPA foyer during the final men and women’s basketball games on Feb. 18.

The table included a poster with Arthur’s story on it and a bucket for donations.

An announcement was also made during halftime of both games about the fundraiser, and four more student athletic trainers walked around the stands and collected donations from fans.

Overall, the ATEP collected approximately $450 for Arthur.

“With the money that ATEP collected, it will be given directly to the Blankenship family to help mostly with the cost of gas as the family commutes between [McMinnville] and the hospital in Portland almost daily,” Fuller said.

In addition to this fundraiser, the ATEP is planning additional fundraisers to raise more money to benefit Arthur and his family.

Although there are no events planned yet, the ATEP is collecting donations in the treatment center in the downstairs of HHPA between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Fuller said that it was a positive experience for those involved, and they felt like they were making an impact on the family.

“The money we raised will be a huge help to the family, as they expressed a real need for gas money,” Fuller said. “A lot of people in the ATEP helped out with the fundraiser, and it really made all of us feel good about what we were doing.”

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Samantha Sigler/News editor
Samantha Sigler can be reached at [email protected].