Covered by an angel

Sure, the awards are nice, but student stays focused on providing hats

By LEANN BARDEN
Pius XI High School

Last Updated: Oct. 12, 2003

When Anthony Leanna's grandmother was in the hospital with breast cancer four years ago, he got to thinking that he wanted to start a program to put smiles on cancer patients' faces.

"They have already gone through so much," Anthony, now 12, says of patients who lose their hair to chemotherapy. "They shouldn't have to go out and buy a hat."

So Anthony founded Heavenly Hats, a program he named himself, which donates hats to cancer patients all over the country. On Sunday, he'll be honored in Los Angeles for his work, winning a national award from the Angel Soft Angels in Action program.

Anthony has spent about 10 hours a week during the past three years bagging and shipping his hats, sending fashion and support to those battling cancer.

"I just want to put a smile on people's faces," he said. "That's the whole point of the program."

After resolving to start this program, then 9-year-old Anthony went home to his computer and started to work. He sent fliers to businesses in his hometown of Suamico, asking them to display donation barrels to collect new hats. Donations trickled in, and Anthony was able to provide hats to several local hospitals.

Then the media caught wind of Anthony's story. Soon, businesses were donating enough hats to supply most of the Wisconsin hospitals. Encouraged by his success, Anthony e-mailed several international hat companies, and the donations surged in from every corner of the Earth, including Australia.

"The hospitals contacted me in the beginning, after they saw my Web site (www.heavenlyhats.com)," Anthony said. "Now, hospitals are contacting me regularly whenever their supply runs out."

Cancer patients need the hats because chemotherapy attacks protein cells, often causing the hair to fall out. The Heavenly Hats provide warmth (heat rises and escapes through the head) and modesty and are a constant reminder for patients that someone out there is thinking of them always, hoping for their recovery.

Once the hats come in, he then bags them in preparation for shipping, selecting the most appropriate ones. He chooses the smallest and brightest hats to send to Children's Hospital, for example.

Anthony's operation has gone national, supplying more than 15,000 brand-new hats to more than 80 different hospitals across the United States.

"My mom and dad help me bag and pay for the shipping and handling," Anthony said.

A few celebrities have helped the cause, too. Ex-Green Bay Packer Ray Nitschke autographed and donated one hat, which Anthony then gave to a patient who is an ardent Packers fan. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, a Packers defensive end, held a special autograph session in May, signing one autograph for every hat donated. He brought in 750 new hats in one day.

Anthony has won many service awards in the past few years, the most recent being one of 10 awards in the nationwide Angel Soft Angels in Action program, which Anthony said "my mom signed me up for." The contest is open to young people ages 8 to 15 who perform exemplary acts of service to benefit their community, a charity or a cause.

Anthony will soon fly to Los Angeles for the awards ceremony, where he will meet Greendale native Jane Kaczmarek, star of the hit Fox sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle," one of Anthony's favorite TV shows.

"Recognizing children like Anthony is an honor," Kaczmarek said in a statement issued by Angel Soft, a toilet tissue brand of the Atlanta-based Georgia Pacific. "With the number of youth who volunteer on the rise, it is very rewarding to be a part of this celebration of community service."

Anthony also will receive a $5,000 scholarship and a year's supply of Angel Soft toilet paper.

The busy seventh-grader just enrolled in a flight school a couple of months ago, and he also loves tackle football - he plays middle line backer and running back. He also adds more excitement to his life by "BMX-ing at skate parks."

His favorite subject in school is math, "every kind of math."

Even when basking in the limelight, during an interview focused on his achievements, Anthony thinks of Heavenly Hats.

"I want people to know that we really need women's and children's hats," he makes sure to add.

Because of the weakened immune systems of cancer patients, all hats must be brand-new. Visit the Web site for more information.

 

Says a determined Anthony: "I'm going to keep doing this as long as people keep donating hats."

From the Oct. 13, 2003 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel