San Luis High School holds fundraiser to benefit toddler with lymphoma

Two-year-old Jesus Antonio Cornejo and his family are getting some help from students at San Luis High School in the toddler's struggle against lymphoma.

The school's student council has made Jesus the beneficiary of Love Night, an annual fundraising event that students plan and stage to benefit a needy resident of San Luis, Ariz.

Proceeds and donations that are collected in this year's event, set for Feb. 21, will go to help pay for expenses associated with Jesus's care, including periodic trips to Phoenix for chemotherapy treatment.

Love Night will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the high school, located at 1250 N. 8th Ave. in San Luis, and is open to the public. The event features entertainment by San Luis High School cheerleaders and the school's performing dance club.

Apart from proceeds earned from the sale of hotdogs, beverages and other snacks, students will be collecting donations for Jesus.

Jesus was diagnosed last April with lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the body's white blood cells that normally protect against infection and disease.

In the months since, Jesus had to be flown to Phoenix for emergency care, his mother, Laura Cornejo, said, and even now he makes monthly trips there for chemotherapy. Still, she said, given the circumstances of his condition, he has the energy level of any other toddler his age. “He's always strong,” said Cornejo, an employee of Rio Colorado Elementary School in San Luis. “He's always happy and he's always playing.”

The high school puts on Love Night annually to benefit a needy resident of San Luis, and this year the Student Council selected Jesus as its beneficiary, said Catherine Bedoya, student council member who is helping organizing the event.

As part of the fundraising effort, the school will sell T-shirts for $10 apiece. For information about Love Night or about helping Jesus, contact Bedoya by e-mail at catbed26@hotmail.com, or call San Luis High School at 502-6100.