Brock was just seven years old when he was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), an aggressive and inoperable brain tumor. During his seven-month journey, those closest to him, his older sister Jenna, his childhood friends, and his community, watched helplessly as the disease slowly stole his ability to walk, talk, and laugh the way he once did. When Brock earned his angel wings, he left behind heartbreak and a spark that would grow into something remarkable.
Eight years later, that spark ignited into action. Now teenagers, Jenna and friends Luke, Giselle, Jaida, and others have carried Brock’s memory with them. In 2023, they decided it was time to do something more. Fueled by love, grief, and determination, they formed the Team Brock Junior Committee (TBJRC). This youth-led branch of the Texas (Team Brock) Chapter of The Cure Starts Now had a clear mission: raise funds, raise awareness, and empower our kids to keep fighting, to face any obstacle with courage, and to believe they have the power to change the world if they don’t like what they see.
Melissa Fleming, Brock’s mom and director of the Team Brock Chapter, watched this group of students come together with purpose. “Although we are guiding the kids,” she said, “they have created this committee, set the goals and standards, and put in the hours.”
And the hours added up. From organizing twenty-six Gold Out Games across 15 schools, to plunging into freezing water for fundraising challenges, or wrapping each other like mummies for laughs and donations, TBJRC brought their energy and creativity to the fight. They met with local leaders, spoke at school events, and discovered how they could make a difference in the fight against cancer.
For Luke Collins, now Chair of TBJRC, the work is deeply personal. “Brock was like my cousin,” he shared. “When he got cancer, I was only eight. I didn’t understand how kids could even get cancer. It didn’t make sense that doctors couldn’t just fix him.”
Vice Chair Giselle Cantu remembers the shift too well. “Brock was my brother’s best friend. I saw him as a healthy, fun-loving boy, and then I saw him during his diagnosis. I joined this committee not just for Brock, but for all the kids fighting. Every child deserves a joyful, passionate life.”
Melissa sees the impact not only in the community but in the committee members themselves. “I’ve watched them grow in confidence and leadership. I don’t want Brock’s battle to weigh them down emotionally. I want it to show them that when something knocks you down, you get back up and you change it.”
And change it they are. Since launching, the Team Brock Junior Committee has raised over $24,000 to fund research and spread awareness. But it’s more than the money. It’s the movement. It’s the t-shirt fundraisers, the water balloon fights, the school board presentations. These students are leading with empathy and purpose, inspiring not just their community, but other schools across Texas.
“The most rewarding part of all this,” said Jaida, the committee’s volunteer coordinator, “is knowing that we are making a real impact. This is our legacy. Every inch of ground we’ve gained, no matter how small, is changing lives.”
The Team Brock Junior Committee is proving something powerful. Youth-led change is not only possible, it is unstoppable. They are carrying Brock’s legacy forward one step at a time and showing the world that the next generation is not waiting for change. They are leading it.
Jenna Fleming, Former Chair, Social Media Chair
Luke Collins, Chair
Giselle Cantu, Vice Chair
Morgan Marks, Social Media Chair
Jaida Covington, Volunteer Coordinator
Caitlin Benningfield, Secretary
Andrew Collins, Gold-Out Game Co-Chair
Jessica Tran, Gold-Out Game Co-Chair
Daniel Howard, Treasurer
Audrey Clements
Carly Collins
Lily Farkas
Reese Hertel
Sebastian Holt
Meghana Nandigam
Abby Rackley
Ava Terbay
