A few spare coins left in a pocket can help save hundreds — hundreds of people that is. The elementary schools in Wellington are participating in Pennies for Patients for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the fight against cancer. The money-raising effort is humble in nature but powerful in effect. Pennies for Patients not only allows students to bring in funds and have class competitions, it also gets the faculty involved.
"It's the kids, they get real motivated," Tracy Schenk-Lara, counselor at Eisenhower Elementary School. "At lunch every couple of days I announce who's winning and what class has brought in the most money and they seem to get a real kick out of that." The students are given a hand-held box to fill up with spare coins, the winners of the class contest get a pizza party at the end of the fundraiser. So far at Eisenhower, the students have brought in $800. Teachers and staff members can pay $1 to wear jeans for the day, some teachers paying in weeks at a time — that element alone has grossed around $130.
"We just ended our second week," Schenk-Lara said. "We have another week left." The fundraiser stops the 26th for each of the schools.
Marla Clouse, Counselor at Kennedy Elementary said the students get really excited about Pennies for Patients.
"Our first week is always the big week," Clouse said. "This is our second year doing it. We've raised more this time than last time" The grand total at Kennedy is $700 so far. Clouse said she keeps the amounts posted each week so everyone in the school knows where they mark. Raising money can be fun, another goal is to teach the kids about leukemia and all whom it effects.
"I think it's one of the best causes that you could have to raise money for," said Auni Williams, Eisenhower fifth grader. "I'm happy that we raised that amount of money." Williams classmates agree with her 100 percent.
"Our teachers set goals for us so it's kind of encouraging to help bring the money and stuff," said Will Long. "Fundraisers are good things." To get the elementary schools started with the fundraiser, a representative from the LLS came to visit all of the schools. Through out the first two weeks of the fundraiser, Schenk-Lara said there has been some pretty heart warming stories.
One student brought in her piggy bank because she felt the Pennies for Patients cause was greater than anything she could have done with the money her piggy bank contained. Another student Schenk-Lara told of spent one weekend doing as much yard work as possible so she could get some money to donate. The schools still have one more week to go and the Wellington elementary schools have already gone way over the $1,000 mark. With the fundraiser in the home stretch, teachers at Washington in particular know all too well the effects of Leukemia.
"At our school we lost a student [Jamie Fontes] a few years ago to leukemia," said Hefley. "So we always bring his picture in and talk about him a little bit and how he motovatied us to be better people and how we need to keep giving back to help to eliminate leukemia for kids."
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A few spare coins left in a pocket can help save hundreds — hundreds of people that is. The elementary schools in Wellington are participating in Pennies for Patients for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the fight against cancer. The money-raising effort is humble in nature but powerful in effect. Pennies for Patients not only allows students to bring in funds and have class competitions, it also gets the faculty involved.
"It's the kids, they get real motivated," Tracy Schenk-Lara, counselor at Eisenhower Elementary School. "At lunch every couple of days I announce who's winning and what class has brought in the most money and they seem to get a real kick out of that." The students are given a hand-held box to fill up with spare coins, the winners of the class contest get a pizza party at the end of the fundraiser. So far at Eisenhower, the students have brought in $800. Teachers and staff members can pay $1 to wear jeans for the day, some teachers paying in weeks at a time — that element alone has grossed around $130.
"We just ended our second week," Schenk-Lara said. "We have another week left." The fundraiser stops the 26th for each of the schools.
Marla Clouse, Counselor at Kennedy Elementary said the students get really excited about Pennies for Patients.
"Our first week is always the big week," Clouse said. "This is our second year doing it. We've raised more this time than last time" The grand total at Kennedy is $700 so far. Clouse said she keeps the amounts posted each week so everyone in the school knows where they mark. Raising money can be fun, another goal is to teach the kids about leukemia and all whom it effects.
"I think it's one of the best causes that you could have to raise money for," said Auni Williams, Eisenhower fifth grader. "I'm happy that we raised that amount of money." Williams classmates agree with her 100 percent.
"Our teachers set goals for us so it's kind of encouraging to help bring the money and stuff," said Will Long. "Fundraisers are good things." To get the elementary schools started with the fundraiser, a representative from the LLS came to visit all of the schools. Through out the first two weeks of the fundraiser, Schenk-Lara said there has been some pretty heart warming stories.
One student brought in her piggy bank because she felt the Pennies for Patients cause was greater than anything she could have done with the money her piggy bank contained. Another student Schenk-Lara told of spent one weekend doing as much yard work as possible so she could get some money to donate. The schools still have one more week to go and the Wellington elementary schools have already gone way over the $1,000 mark. With the fundraiser in the home stretch, teachers at Washington in particular know all too well the effects of Leukemia.
"At our school we lost a student [Jamie Fontes] a few years ago to leukemia," said Hefley. "So we always bring his picture in and talk about him a little bit and how he motovatied us to be better people and how we need to keep giving back to help to eliminate leukemia for kids."
