Wildcats raise money for relay

The entire school is involved in fund-raising for its team that will participate in the American Cancer Society event.

By: Mae Rhine
   WEST AMWELL — There’s a flurry of activity at West Amwell Elementary School these days as more than 200 students, parents and faculty prepare for the annual American Cancer Society fund-raiser, Relay for Life.
   This is the first year the school has been involved, said team captain Tracy McClelland, an aide to a handicapped child at the school. The relay takes place from noon May 31 through 10 a.m. June 1 at South Hunterdon Regional High School.
   Each grade is doing something to raise money for the event, she said. For example, the third-graders’ bingo night April 11 drew more than 150 people, she said.
   "It was a huge success; it was awesome," Ms. McClelland said. "It shows you how much people look for a place they can help."
   Kindergartners are collecting loose change while first-graders have sold more than 200 West Amwell Wildcat hats at $5 each. The wildcat is the school mascot.
   Second-graders are doing raffle gift baskets. The fourth-graders are holding a spaghetti dinner Saturday, May 17, at the West Amwell firehouse from 4 to 7 p.m. The cost will be $8 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-12.
   The fifth-graders are holding a hoagie sale Friday, May 9, from 3:15 to 6 p.m. at the school. The hoagie sale will be repeated during the sixth-graders’ car wash Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The car wash is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the school.
   As if all this weren’t enough, the students are preparing to walk around the track at South Hunterdon, along with scores of other volunteers, to raise money. The object is for each participant to get 10 sponsors at $10 each.
   This is also Ms. McClelland’s first year with the relay. She said she was always too busy before to get involved. But a "good friend," Norma Zimmerman of Ringoes, talked her into it this year. Ms. Zimmerman and her husband, Erik Sr., are the co-chairpersons of this year’s event.
   The Zimmermans’ son, Erik Jr., who will be 12 next month, was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was just 17 months old.
   When Ms. McClelland talked to school Superintendent Todd Fey about the idea, he loved it, she said.
   She then talked with teachers and parents.
   "All of them gave me such positive feedback," Ms. McClelland said. "The parents are so gung-ho."
   She hasn’t discussed the reason behind the fund-raiser in-depth with the students.
   "There are some kids here whose parents have battled cancer," Ms. McClelland said.
   Most, however, are just excited over being involved with something that they know only as a good cause.
   "The kids are real excited about what they’re doing and about the process," Ms. McClelland said. But, "they don’t grasp the importance," she said.
   The teachers and parents, do, however, and Ms. McClelland is awed by the help she is getting.
   "I saw all these hands, and I put them to work," she said. "There is so much community support."
   The most help she needs, she says, is for the rest of the community to support the school’s fund-raisers, including the car wash and hoagie sale this weekend and the spaghetti dinner next weekend.
   "We need them to come out and eat," Ms. McClelland said.
   Ms. McClelland’s life has not been touched by cancer, except through friends like Ms. Zimmerman. But she is working hard to make this year’s relay a success and is anxious for everyone helping her to be recognized for all their hard work.
   "All kind of generous people came out and put this together," she said. "These people are the cream of the crop. This is amazing. I’m proud to be a West Amwell American."