DECA Spike for a Cause 2025

NOTE: The following article was written by EPHS senior Julia Kravchuk as part of her Journalism & Broadcasting – Workplace Experience class. The course, taught by Christina Heinen, gives students an opportunity to have their work featured on the District 401 website. 

Currently, about 7.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's. Elmwood Park High School holds an annual Spike for a Cause volleyball event hosted by the school club DECA. The main goal for Spike for a Cause is to raise awareness and money for Alzheimer's. This year, we raised $11,250, the largest amount of money we have in the past four years! 

What is Alzheimer's? Alzheimer's is a disease, not contagious, that usually affects people ages 65 and older. Individuals affected by this disease have a progressive, degenerative, brain disorder that causes gradual memory loss. The scientific reasoning behind this is that the brain cells have become damaged, and this leads to the loss of connections between neurons and eventual cell death. This disease does not have a cure and it is irreversible. A number of factors  can contribute to Alzheimer's, including gender, genetics, lifestyle, race and ethnicity, and age. 

What is DECA? DECA is a student run business organization aimed at preparing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs through competitive events and travel. Here at EPHS, DECA organizes community building events like Spike for a Cause and the annual Daddy-Daughter Dance to foster community engagement and networking. DECA runs at many high schools all around the country. Each year, every DECA chapter is required to host an event to raise money for a cause. EPHS has chosen to raise money for Alzheimer's by hosting a district wide Spike for a Cause event!

Pictured above is the EPHS DECA chapter. In this photo, the EPHS DECA Tigers are at the annual fall conference.

This event was put together with the help of all of the DECA members. Each member had a critically important role during this event: some were announcers, some helped with security, others managed concessions, many sold raffle tickets, and a few acted as mascots. Presidents Zayd Lahlou-Nabil (Junior ‘27) and Karolina Wojdyla (Senior ‘26) took charge in leading and creating this event. Our club advisors, Ms. Bear and Ms. Sims also played a huge role helping tie this event together. Every DECA member had a critically important role to serve during this event, some being: announcers, security, concessions, raffle tickets, mascots, etc. The EPHS cheer team was present during this event, helping bring Spike for a Cause to life through their contagious school spirit! 

What happens at Spike for a Cause? Teachers from all schools across District 401 come together to play each other in a volleyball tournament. This year, Elmwood Elementary won. Besides just the volleyball tournament, other events also happened, like a duck toss, raffles, “a minute to win it”, a cheer performance, a mascot dance off, and more.

Pictured above is a live reaction from our district-wide volleyball match. This match was played between the John Mills Trojans and the Elm Middle School Cougars.

Below is an interview with Zayd and Karolina on the event. 

First, I asked Zayd how he prepared for this event and what steps he took to prepare. Zayd said, "The key factor to making this event successful was starting in June. This allowed me to be able to prepare for this event in advance. If any problems came about, I was then able to adapt accordingly." 

Then, I asked Karolina what she thought made this year's event successful. Karolina replied, "Going to Elmwood Elementary for promotion was a huge help this year. It allowed us to get more kids to come to Spike and, overall, hype up the event. Also, adding all the games in between matches made Spike so much more successful and memorable. It was a fun experience for everybody involved." 

DECA, Alzheimer's, and Spike for a Cause are all meaningful in different ways. Keep your eye out for this charitable event next year; you won't want to miss it!