When their father, Mike, passed away in January 2021 of colorectal cancer, Kamryn and Kaitlyn Bondoni were inspired to give back to those at the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC – James) who treated him, and their 4-H community came together to support them in a big way.

After receiving the difficult news that his cancer was inoperable, Mike and his family decided to get a second opinion from The James and went on to receive treatment from their team of oncologists and researchers for the next three years. “The James gave our dad three more years with us,” said Kamryn. Kaitlyn added, “So anything we give back will still never begin to repay that time we ended up getting.”

As lifelong 4-H’ers in Columbiana County, Kamryn and Kaitlyn leaned on their 4-H community after their dad’s passing and found support in ways they had never expected. At their first county fair without their dad, the sisters decided to donate half of the proceeds from the auction of their dairy beef feeders to help end cancer and, through the generosity of their 4-H community, have been able to donate $32,000 to the OSUCCC – James in memory of their father since 2021. “We’re hoping to make a difference. Our community helped us get here – and now we’re giving back to a different kind of community.”

You can join Kamryn and Kaitlyn in their goal of ending cancer by donating to The James today. You can also support the Ohio 4-H program and help youth thrive by giving in support of 4-H Youth Development programming.