Tulane University’s Pinky Swear Pack is part of a national network of college students contributing emotional and financial support to children with cancer. 

The Pinky Swear Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with college “packs” across the nation. 

The Pinky Swear Foundation was founded after 9-year-old Mitch Chepokas passed away from bone cancer. Mitch made a pinky promise to his father to continue helping children with cancer even after he was gone.  

Since 2003, his family established the foundation and continues to support children with cancer and their families through housing, food and transportation costs.  

Pack members fundraise and connect with children through letters and in-person hospital visits.  

The foundation’s core values and mission resonate with Tulane students who are passionate about supporting the cause. 

“The fact that [Mitch’s] family created this foundation and have kept it going after he passed away, I just think is amazing,” senior Ella Milchan, vice president of the Tulane Pinky Swear Pack, said. “The whole message behind the foundation itself is why I wanted to get involved.” 

Since its establishment, Tulane’s Pinky Swear Pack has organized fundraisers and written letters to children with cancer.  

“On campus, we write letters to the kids, we have bake sales, we table on McAllister,” sophomore Mandi Valdez, president of the Tulane Pinky Swear Pack, said. “Last semester, we raised about $700 and this semester we’re going to try to raise around $900.” 

As a form of emotional support, Tulane’s Pinky Swear writes Letters of Encouragement to children with cancer. The organization sends the letters to the Pinky Swear Foundation, who forward the letters to a child fighting cancer along with a small financial gift and a resource guide for parents.  

“I would say my most memorable experience [with Pinky Swear] was writing letters to the kids,” Valdez said. “We also got a few emails back from the organization saying that the kids really loved our letters and who they went to.”  

In addition to promoting awareness of pediatric cancer, Tulane’s Pinky Swear Pack provides an outlet for students to explore potential career paths in healthcare. 

“[Pinky Swear has] affirmed my career plans. I definitely want to be a doctor,” Milchan said. “When we write to [the children], they’re a patient but…we get to see them as a person. I think that’s really important as a doctor, that you also see your patients, not just as their disease, but as a whole person. I’ll take those lessons with me when I go to medical school.” 

In the future, the Tulane Pinky Swear Pack hopes to hold more fundraisers, letter writing events and hospital visits. 

“We are currently planning a bake sale,” Valdez said. “We’re also working on reaching out to local hospitals, like Ochsner, to go see some kids.”