Todd is also a cancer survivor. He is one of 99 college students in Florida going to school this year with the help of scholarships provided by the American Cancer Society (ACS).

The Florida Division's scholarship program began after it was realized that no scholarships were available just for students who had a history of cancer. It started with a generous donation from a couple who prefer to remain anonymous, and began in the 1993-94 school year with 18 students, according to Marilyn Westley, director of board operations and administrator of the program.

Many of these students' families had to spend their college funds on medical bills, she explained. "It's our vote of confidence in these kids. We believe in them."

The scholarship students are selected by a committee of educators, business people, and health care professionals, including a pediatric oncologist and a pediatric psychologist, and are each awarded $2,250. "Unless they go to a private school, that just about covers their entire tuition for the year," Westley said.

Three other ACS divisions also offer college scholarships to students who are cancer survivors. The Southeast Division started its program in the spring of 1999, giving $1,000 scholarships to 47 students in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The Mid-Atlantic Division gave $1,000 scholarships this year to 41 students in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. And the Great Lakes Division gave $1,000 scholarships to 62 young cancer survivors in Indiana and Michigan.

For the students, the scholarships mean more than just financial help, said Westley. "It's really so much more than a scholarship. It's a network for these kids to get to know each other."

Todd Broder agrees. The Florida scholarship students meet as a group once a year and then stay in touch, sometimes on a daily basis, he said. They share their experiences with cancer. "You really get to see each kid's point of view on it and how they came through it. You can speak openly because you know that everyone really can feel what you're talking about," he said.

Todd, now 22, was diagnosed with testicular cancer when he was 17. "I missed a semester of school during chemotherapy. It causes your grades to suffer and disqualifies you for other scholarships," he said.

The experience made him focus on his goals. For now, one of Todd's goals is to let people know that cancer is not just an older person's disease. He volunteers for the ACS, helping with Relay for Life and even serving on his local ACS Unit's board of directors. "I'm involved with the American Cancer Society in some way every day," he said. "We all have a responsibility to help fight the disease."

Todd is not the only student with that kind of attitude, Westley said. "These kids don't just take their money and say, 'Thank you very much.' A lot of them are involved with their local unit," she said.

For Todd, however, the work won't stop with volunteering. He plans to make the fight against cancer his life's work. He is a pre-med major because he wants to become an oncologist.

Information on how to apply for the scholarships is available by calling the division offices at the following toll-free numbers: Florida, 1-800-444-1410, extension 405; Great Lakes, 1-800-723-0360; Mid-Atlantic, 1-888-227-6333; or Southeast, 1-800-ACS-2345.