By Kim Spinelli, Special Writer
Sand Hills Preschool in Kendall Park held its 8th Annual Trike-A-Thon for charity May 4.
Four-year-old students rode their tricycles, Big Wheels, and even some bicycles with training wheels to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The children also learned about bicycle safety during the event.
”Trike-A-Thon is a fun, week-long curriculum that teaches children riding-toy safety. Each day, children learn a different lesson with special St. Jude friends, Bikewell Bear and Pedals the Bunny, in colorfully illustrated adventures and take-home coloring sheets,” a brochure about the event states. “At the end of the week, participants bring trikes or riding toys and helmets to the event and practice the rules they’ve learned at the Trike-A-Thon.”
The kids pedaled laps through the parking lot and could stop for a water break if needed. Parents and teachers cheered from the sidelines and provided assistance as needed.
”The children were so excited this morning! They kept asking ‘When can we ride in the marathon,’” teacher Suzanne Kross said. “They definitely got the message that they are riding to raise money for sick kids, and they really seemed to enjoy and benefit from the daily lessons on bicycle safety. Not one 4-year-old forgot his helmet.”
Afterwards, the kids yelled repeatedly, “That was fun!” They were rewarded at the finish line with a special treat of fruit juice popsicles.
Children also received tiered-level prizes depending on the amount they each raised.
According to the organization’s brochure, “St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance, and no child is denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay. Your donation enables St. Jude to continue its mission of finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases.”
The amount raised was undetermined, as donations were still coming in, organizers said.
”Giving back is something we’re always talking about with the students- being kind to their families, themselves, each other, and their friends in the community,” Preschool Director Wendy Occhipinti said. “It’s not just something we talk about, but something we live and try to emulate every day.”
”The Trike-A-Thon fundraiser for St. Jude’s is one of the many ways Sand Hills Preschool teaches our children to take care of others. This type of learning environment is why I have sent three children here,” said parent Bridget Stump.
Parent Kim Schneider added, “There’s nothing more exciting than seeing the children have fun while learning about such a great cause. Sand Hills Preschool does a fantastic job involving our children in their community at such an early age.”
Sand Hills Preschool, a division of the Community Presbyterian Church, was founded in 1995 “to provide high-quality, affordable preschool education to members of the community,” said Ms. Occhipinti. “We are a mission of the church; however, there is no Presbyterian doctrine in the school. We accept and have had kids of all faiths. Some people of other denominations send their kids here because they like the service-community foundation.”
Community outreach is nothing new for the 17-year old preschool; it’s something they do on a regular basis.
”We collect food for the South Brunswick Food Pantry twice per year. We do a penny drive, which is a competition between classes, and donate the money to the food pantry. Our 3-year-olds do a Hop-A-Thon to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy, and at holiday time we adopted two families in the township and donated gifts listed on paper ornaments from a giving tree for these families in need,” said Ms. Occhipinti. “What sets us apart is that we are a very family-friendly environment. Children come to us mostly through word-of-mouth. We try to get to know families and their situation. We look at the individual child as a member of their family and as a member of the Sand Hills family.”
Parent Gia Somogyi said, “Everyone sends more than one child here, and we started when we learned from our friends that their kids had such a wonderful experience. We love coming to the Trike-A-Thon. Sand Hills is its own community.”
”People who come here don’t ever want to leave,” said Mrs. Occhipinti with a smile. “It’s very gratifying to see families send multiple siblings here, have ‘alumni’ come back and visit, parents ask about potential job opportunities and more. Sometimes, we’re a family’s first venture into the South Brunswick community. It’s a compliment that they ask us for referrals for all sorts of things, and we’re often asked for potty training tips.”
The official policy is that children must be potty-trained to attend, but operators understand that this is a major child development transition and allow some leeway.
Assistant Director/Assistant Teacher, Susan Goddard has been with Sand Hills since its founding and said that she’s “so blessed to be a part of this preschool.”
She’s in charge of the school’s gym program and annual Art Show Open House, which allows students to showcase the masterpieces they’ve created throughout the year.
”According to surveys from parents and feedback received from the state, ‘we are an extremely warm, loving, fun, nurturing place,’” She said. “For example, we don’t put children in the corner. When we witness a conflict between students, we talk to them, explain why their behavior was unacceptable, have the kids apologize and separate them for a short while.”
”We recently had a book fair at Barnes and Noble in North Brunswick, where the other teachers and I acted out the book Don’t Mail an Elephant by Mike Thaler and Jared Lee,” she said. “The audience was literally cracking up.”
Another popular event at the school is “Boohoo Bagels” that enables all of the parents to interact over breakfast the first day of school, according to Ms. Occhipinti.
To find out more about Sand Hills Preschool or to arrange a tour, call 732.940.1515, email [email protected] or visit their website, commuitypres.org and click the “Sand Hills Preschool” tab. For more information on the St. Jude fundraiser, visit stjude.org/trike or call 1.800.626.BIKE (2453).

