Freshmen strive to help cancer patients
Students at BHSFC did what they could to raise money for cancer patients.
Andrea Sessions, Reporter
May 28, 2010
Filed under News
This year the students at the Belton Freshmen Center participated in the Pennies for Patients three-week campaign. Many students pitched in money in their first hour classes to help out the cause.
Millions of dollars have been raised by more than 10 million elementary, middle and high school students throughout the country to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society since 1994. The Pennies for Patients campaign began in the Society’s North Carolina Chapter in 1995.
In the campaign, the class that collects the most in each school receives a pizza party and the top schools in each area receive prizes such as computers, electronics and sports equipment.
English teacher Kara Shrum’s class came in first place with over $300 raised in a matter of a few days. Science teacher Chez Massey’s class raised over $300 as well. Massey said she is incredibly proud of her students.
“I only have 15 students in my first hour so that’s a huge accomplishment,” Massey said.
Drama and speech teacher Josh Turk’s class and math teacher Suzanne Kidwell’s class also raised large totals.
Massey said her students asked their parents, grandparents and neighbors for change. One of her students actually pulled money from her savings account for her car when she turns 16.
“I had several students that chose to donate their own savings money or allowance money,” Massey said.
Massey said she shared a story about first grader Hailey Johnson, with her students. Johnson is a student at Hillcrest who is the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Girl of the Year. She is in remission and has represented the Leukemia and Lymphoma society in parades and a photo shoot here in KC.
“It was great to see my students come together to support this young lady as well as anyone else who has been affected by this disease,” Massey said.
Both freshmen Macee Hutton and Brittney Powell contributed to Pennies for Patients. Powell said she’s lost family members to cancer and that she knows how hard it is. She said it especially breaks her heart to see little kids with it.
“I am hoping one day they will find a cure,” Powell said. ”I’d do anything to see it happen.”
Hutton said she participated because she thought it would be a great way to help kids with cancer get the help that they needed. She said she feels wonderful about the fact that she was a part of it.
“Knowing that you did something good for somebody else always feels good,” Hutton said.
Hutton and Powell agree that the school did a good job of raising money for the cause, and Powell said she thought the school did a pretty good job of encouraging students to donate, but Hutton said she feels like it could have been promoted more.
“Some teachers at the Freshmen Center didn’t even talk about it,” Hutton said.
Either way, the freshmen did a wonderful job, raising a total of $1183.
Loading ...