Annaual fundraiser at North Bend Montessori raises money for diabetes
May 21, 2008
By Ryan Piersol
Teacher and fundraiser supervisor Sally Rankin, along with students of North Bend Montessori who helped raise money for diabetes. Photo contributed
Students at North Bend Montessori didn’t just finish their 100th day of class with a sigh of relief - they decided to make someone’s life easier.
The 180 preschool and kindergarten students raised $4,307 for The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The money was raised in the name of Hailee Elmer, a 16-year-old former North Bend Elementary student.
“We’ve never raised that much before. Not ever,” said Sally Rankin, a teacher at the school and supervisor of the event. “It’s a great thing the kids have done. Because, even though it was started by the adults, it was the kids who made it happen.
This is the 10th straight year North Bend Montessori has celebrated the 100th day of class by performing a community service project.
The school has carried out a variety of projects in the past, including collections of food for food banks, dog and cat food for rescue center and clothes for the fire department to distribute to the needy.
Elmer, a personal friend of Rankin, was the collective choice to be this year’s recipient. She met face-to-face with some of the children during the fundraising effort.
“I think the effort was really relatable for a lot of people. And having a real, human face to put with it helped,” Rankin said. “(Elmer) wrote a letter to the kids, explaining who she was and about diabetes. We also read books to the kids about diabetes and did a lot of talking about it. We got the kids really involved.”
The school set a goal to collected 100 pounds of coins as the first part of the fundraiser. They brought coins in themselves to contribute to six classroom jars and also placed jars in local businesses, asking customers to help. In all, the jars raised $1,425 and totaled 155 pounds of coins.
The other part of the fundraiser was a 100-minute walk where students were sponsored by families. That brought in $2,881.
Editor Ryan Piersol can be reached at editor@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434.
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Great story! Amazing how a few pennies at a time can make a huge difference. And such a fabulous cause!