The holidays are over but the weather is getting colder and Love Your Melon has come to UMass Dartmouth to keep children battling cancer warm.

Love Your Melon, an apparel brand, has opened its newest chapter at UMass. Founded in 2012 by friends Zachary Quinn and Brian Keller at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, the idea behind Love Your Melon was to put a hat on every child battling cancer, while working to raise money and improve their lives. To date, Love Your Melon has reserved more than 45,000 hats to donate to children battling cancer.

The UMass Love Your Melon chapter, founded and headed by Captain Nicole Harris, Vice-Captain Gabrielle Colonies, Public Relations Representative Lauren Antonucci and Secretary Brianna Greene, became one of 225 chapters across the country. It was Harris’ idea to contact Love Your Melon and bring its goodwill to Dartmouth.

Nearly 20 others are involved in the operation at UMass. Despite the six week holiday break, the Love Your Melon ambassadors are planning a number of events to get the word out about the organization in Dartmouth. They have a kick-off event planned for the beginning of the semester where they will be passing out items given to them from Love Your Melon. They’re also looking to involve athletic teams on campus and local hospitals.

Love Your Melon ambassadors also create therapeutic adventures for children battling cancer. Ambassadors dress up as superheroes and accompany the children on helicopter, plane, boat or limo rides, or on a superhero adventure. According to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, therapeutic treatment may boost the immune system, stimulate the heart and lungs, relax muscles, relieve pain and balance blood pressure

Therapeutic treatments also help comfort children battling cancer, and provide the opportunity for them to talk to their friends and family about positive experiences.

In its first month of operation, the UMass chapter sold over 140 hats and, to date, has sold 199 hats. All profits from the sales will go directly to support children battling cancer. In 2015, Love Your Melon donated $1 million to the fight against cancer.

“Personally, I am extremely proud of all our Love Your Melon Crew has accomplished,” Antonucci said. “We have surpassed our goals and are making more progress than we anticipated. The student body and faculty have been supportive of our crew. We have been working with different departments on campus as well as off campus to spread the word about this foundation.”

With a successful month and a half under their belts, Love Your Melon has only just gotten started.

“We have a spreadsheet of weekly goals that the entire crew helps create,” said Antonucci. “Our goals are to keep advertising and reaching out to members of the community not only surrounding UMass but expanding to surrounding areas.”

Because they sold over 150 hats, the UMass Love Your Melon chapter became eligible to provide beanies to five children who are battling pediatric cancer.  If you know a child who would like a beanie, email umassdlymcrew@yahoo.com for more information.

“We are honored to be given this opportunity to help these brave kids. We are given superhero costumes to wear as we are giving the beanies away, but in our crews eyes they are our heroes,” Antonucci said.