DVHS Teen Closing In On $10K Fundraising Effort For Sick Kids

SAN RAMON, CA — A very driven San Ramon 15-year-old just keeps moving the goal post further out, because, well, he's been pretty successful so far.

Two years agoPatch reported on Sumukh Cadpakar's efforts to create a nonprofit greeting card company named KidtoKid to benefit youngsters battling serious illness or injury at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford in Palo Alto. Using his own artwork, the then 13-year-old freshman at Dougherty Valley High School wanted to raise $10,000 for the nationally known medical center before he graduated.

Before he hit the halfway point toward graduation, on Aug. 28, 2018 Sumukh presented the hospital with a check in the amount of $6,000. During the check presentation, he was given a volunteer service award from the hospital for his fundraising efforts and he's been named on an honorary wall at the medical facility.

To expand his fundraising, Sumukh has now started a KidtoKid club at DVHS that utilizes the talents of student peers who want to contribute their art for more greeting cards. Since last summer's check presentation, approximately $1,500 more has been raised.

All of this work is in addition to Sumukh's studies (top student), participation in local theater (onstage), running (including the Summer Scamper two years in a row to benefit Lucile Packard Children's Hospital), saxophone playing (we hear he's really good), and drawing political cartoons for his high school paper (fun!). Those are just some of his activities ... pretty sure we're missing some, but who's counting?