Cancer Center at Illinois Hosts Health Make-a-Thon at Richard Wright School in Washington, D.C., with Percy "Master P" Miller

WASHINGTON - March 16, 2025 - PRLog -- The Cancer Center at Illinois is bringing its Health Make-a-Thon to Richard Wright Public Charter Schools in Washington, D.C. The Make-a-Thon is a health innovation competition sponsored by the Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED) and Illinois' Health Maker Lab (HML). The goal is to foster innovative ideas for improving human health, and contestants can win monetary prizes to develop their innovations.

This groundbreaking event on Thursday, March 20th will challenge students to develop innovative solutions in Cancer Awareness and Health Innovation, Substance Abuse and Recovery Solutions, Mental Health Advocacy and Wellness Solutions, Entrepreneurship and Future Innovation, and Social Justice and Community Empowerment. Five student teams will compete, each presenting a five-minute pitch featuring visuals, a proposed budget, and a creative jingle to showcase their ideas.

At the event's conclusion, each team will be recognized with an award named after an influential figure who has significantly impacted their field. One winning team will receive $6,000 to develop their idea further.

Awards & Categories

●        Percy "Master P" Miller – Entrepreneur & Innovation Award

●        Landing on Your Feet Parachute Award (In honor of the late Tytyana Miller)

●        Colonel Christine "Nickey" Knighton – Tuskegee Aviators: The Sky is the Limit Social Justice Award

●        Dr. Shawn McKinney – Cancer Awareness & Health Innovation Award

●        Dr. Phillip J. Bowman – Passing the Baton Mental Health Award

Ribbon Cutting for Youth Wellness Store/Space

On the same day, the school will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Youth Wellness Store/Space, funded by the Cancer Center at Illinois at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This space will support student well-being and include mental health support, wellness initiatives, and student empowerment resources. Tiana Von Johnson, Make-A-Thon Event Curator and Master of Ceremonies will host the event.

Visionaries Behind the Initiative

Dr. Ruby Mendenhall, Creator of the Wellness Store/Space and Director of the Health Make-a-Thon, is the Kathryn Lee Baynes Dallenbach LAS Professor in Sociology and African American Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She also serves as an Associate Dean at Carle Illinois College of Medicine and Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Cancer Center at Illinois. She co-directs the Youth Wellness Project in Chicago, training youth as Community Health Workers and Citizen Scientists while leading efforts to establish Wellness Stores/Spaces in museums and schools. "This collaboration is truly special and a dream come true," says Dr. Ruby Mendenhall.

A special thank you to Dr. Marco Clark, Founder and CEO of Richard Wright Schools, Percy Miller, a member of the Richard Wright Schools Board of Trustees, and the school's leadership team for their support in this initiative. "I am honored to bring this initiative to Richard Wright," says Percy Miller.

This event is made possible through the generous support of the Cancer Center at Illinois, the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, the MacArthur Foundation, and the National Science Foundation.

Media Contact

Meggan J Lee, Cancer Center at Illinois at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
mlee201@illinois.edu, 312-259-0965