Greenwood Elementary School students exceeded the school’s goal of $6,090 by raising $8,193.23 for cancer research through Pennies for Patients during the month of March.
The goal was established by setting an expectation of $10 raised per student in the building. The outcome was achieved through an incredible effort on the part of the fifth grade Kids in Community Kare and Service (KICKS) team, parents and staff members.
Theme days including Stick it to Cancer, Team up against Cancer, Jam out Cancer and Cap out Cancer helped motivate students to raise money for the cause. Students rallied around the fundraiser to support fellow fourth grade student Matthew Buff who is now in his second year of remission. The effort became a more tangible activity by seeing cancer through a friend’s eyes and experiences.
In addition to the theme days, a sign was placed near the building’s entrance that said “Making Leukemia Disappear.” With each $761 raised, one of the letters was removed from the sign until it was gone from the wall. Toward the end of the fundraising period, the fifth grade class held a competition between boys and girls in fifth grade that raised $1,300
Greenwood ranked in the top 10 schools in the state for schools with more than 500 students in the Pennies for Patients program with this year’s donation. The donations include 406 pounds of coins totaling $3,566, $2,078 in cash, $333 donated by Jimmy Johns, $651 in checks and $1,566 donated online. The students chose to donate the money to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
