LIVING IN MANVILLE
By:Mary Ellen Zangara
Students at Weston Elementary School helped do their part to raise funds for the Manville First Aid and Rescue Squad last week. The Annual school wide walk took place on Friday and this year’s cause was to help funds to purchase a new truck.
Each year a specific cause is slated and the students all get involved. In the past, they have raised money to help the rainforest and others. This year new teachers Mandy Hurd, Christina Hudnett and Cindy Cooper thought it was very appropriate that the fund-raiser be used right here in town for the Rescue Squad.
"Usually they do an ‘Earth Day walkathon’ and the Rescue Squad needed to raise money for a new truck so we decided to make it a Rescue Squad Walkathon," Ms. Hurd said. "The kids pledged 5 cents, 25 cents or whatever they wanted for every lap and at the end we mark the laps and all the money will go to the rescue squad."
The Rescue Squad came to Weston School recently to show the students the trucks and all their equipment and how it works.
About 375 of the 400 Weston School students, parents, younger siblings and teachers all participated in the walk around the streets surrounding the school property. Each student was required to find sponsors for pledges. Pledges were given for each lap that the student completed in any amount. They wore their sneakers and carried water bottles as they took a stroll in the sunshine of such a beautiful day.
They all walked together in some small groups or large groups. Moms even pushed a few baby strollers getting their laps in as they helped chaperone. Classes wore their Weston School T-shirts and very energetically completed as many laps as they could during the one-hour time frame.
Tables were set up as rest stations so they could stop for a break while other parent and teacher volunteers carefully recorded their laps completed.
Students involved said they were all raising the funds for the new truck. Robbie Pierrot was "Walking laps to get money for the rescue squad so they could get a new truck." He said he was having a lot of fun and was on his fifth lap when he stopped for a minute.
Jessica Lubas said she "had to get pledges and walk around the school." She got a lot of pledges and was continuing into her fourth lap.
Justin Olejnik was walking and also having fun to help raise the funds.
Principal Don Frank was very pleased with the results of the event.
"New teachers put this together," he pointed out. "Ms. Cooper’s dad is a police officer and she has worked very closely with them before and she volunteered and stepped in."
Mr. Frank also noted that cans were in each classroom and the students were dropping in their spare change to help also. No final totals were available yet as the pledges are still coming in to be tallied up.
PTA President Melissa Hughes said "It’s good to see that the kids are doing something and giving it back to the community."
Mary Ellen Zangara is a lifelong resident of Manville.