Cystic Fibrosis March teaches true meaning of
"caring"
How do you teach students the importance of
caring? You can tell them about it. You can ask them to write
about it. You can have them look it up on the Internet. But
sometimes, "doing" is the best teacher.
On Thursday, May 7, Fonda-Fultonville Elementary
School PreK-4 students showed the
community how much they care as they participated in the
school's third annual Cystic
Fibrosis (CF) Mini-March to raise money for CF research. The
children collected donations from family and friends in the
weeks prior to the walk.
Virtually every elementary student stepped out
into the sunshine to march two laps around the school's
400-meter track. At the end of the march, second grade teacher
Jamie McRedmond took the microphone to share the results of the
elementary school fundraising effort. Amidst the happy screams
of over 500 students, they learned that they had raised
$6,631.25.
Top fund-raising classrooms were Mrs. Headwell's
first grade—$545.00 and Mrs. Kline's third grade—$512.00. Top individual
fund-raisers were PreK Joseph Oathout—$212.00, first grader
Robert Mott—$181.00, and kindergartner Cayden Egelston—$125.00.
The three hat days raised: $556.00
Cystic Fibrosis strikes close to home
Cystic fibrosis is very real to
Fonda-Fultonville Elementary School students; two of their
classmates have the disease. First-grader Cayden Egelston was
diagnosed at birth in 2003 following a state-mandated screening
for the disease. Doctors immediately tested his older sister
Rhionah who, because neonatal testing had not been required
prior to 2002, had never been tested. Her tests also proved
positive for CF.
Although the siblings have relatively mild
symptoms, their schoolmates understand that this is a
life-threatening disease with no cure. CF is a genetic
disease that affects the lungs and digestive systems of
approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States.
Nearly ten million Americans carry the defective CF gene.
Mini-March kicks-off Great Strides
The successful Mini-March sets the stage for the
community's Fifth Annual Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides 5K Walk
on Saturday, May 9 at Fonda-Fultonville Central School. To contribute to the walk, visit the Cystic
Fibrosis Foundation web site at
www.cff.org/Great_Strides/ and follow the instructions to
donate or simply join the walkers at the Great Strides walk.
