Kids Raise money for Train
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Little people have taken up the cause to save The Little Train.
Students in some of the Emporia district’s elementary schools are holding their own versions of fund-raising drives and penny wars — and accepting paper money, too — in a community-wide effort to raise $20,000 to buy a new engine and driver motors for the train. In its present condition, the train is not expected to be able to run through summer.
An Emporia business also has joined the cause, with a $1,000 pledge, according to Les Nuessen of Sertoma Club, which operates the train at Soden’s Grove.
Bob Sutherland of Sutherland’s has committed to the $1,000 and is preparing to challenge another business to meet that amount. Details of that have not yet been completed, Nuessen said.
Donations will be deposited today and Nuessen expects the total collected so far to be at least $6,050. He is pleased that the schools and district staff are coming to the train’s rescue.
At Timmerman elementary school, students will be encouraged to “Choo-choo-choose to save the train!”
The drive will start on Monday and run until March 2.
“We’re just collecting change and dollar bills, whatever they want to bring,” said Vickie Kennett, Timmerman student support specialist who came up with the slogan.
No incentives or contests will be offered.
“I want them to do something just from the heart,” Kennett said.
Staff at the schools also have joined the youngsters and are doing their own fund raiser in the adult segment of the district.
Diana Hirt, first-grade teacher at Village Elementary, has organized a competition that will pit teachers, maintenance, clerical, food service and support staff against administrators.
“I put in money for the penny wars, and that’s awesome and it’s fun,” Hirt said. “I wanted to do something else, above and beyond that.”
Hirt said she wanted to show the children that The Little Train is important to children and adults alike throughout the community.
“I think it’s really important,” Hirt said. “I’d hate to see the train leave.”
Hirt plans to take the adult’s money to the district administration building on March 2, and ask the board office staff, school board members, and administrators to match it.
Classrooms are competing at Logan Avenue school, with a party going to the class that collects the most money.
“There are milk jugs in the classrooms, and the kids bring any spare change they have,” said Carla Fessler, Logan Avenue student support specialist. “Some have even brought dollars.”
Riverside school is pitting grade against grade. All fourth-grade classrooms are competing as one class, for example, as are all of the other classes. Judging will be done by poundage and by total money raised.
“They’re competing against each other for a prize,” said Myoan McJunkin, who teaches reading at Riverside. “They also voted that the teachers’ money would go with whatever class they choose to go with.”
The school has put up a paper train in the front window. With every $10 collected, another train car will be added. Five cars were added Monday afternoon. On Fridays, the money will be taken to Lyon County State Bank to be counted until the contest is over on March 9.
The Riverside student-teacher activity council is in charge of the fund raising there.
Village School has put up flyers and sent letters home to parents as part of its campaign. Village also is competing by grade level, according to counselor Amy Chapman.
“We’ll just have a little incentive for the (winning) grade, nothing huge,” Chapman said. “Our principal wanted it to be more like service to the community and how that should be more of an internal reward.”