Cancer survivor helps Walnut School launch fundraiser
Nancy Horst, Special to the Gazette
Friday, February 5, 2010
By Nancy Horst
Special to The Gazette
Students and staff at Walnut Elementary kicked off a fundraiser this week that has a special connection to the school. The school is participating in the annual Pennies for Patients to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Six-year-old Reese Naylor of Wichita is the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s 2009 Girl of the Year. Reese’s grandmother, Donna Russell, is a teacher aide at Walnut.
Reese is a blood cancer survivor, and she attended an assembly Wednesday to kick off the Pennies for Patients campaign at Walnut School. She was joined by family members and Kristy Thomas, patient services manager for LLS. During the next three weeks, students and staff are asked to bring their pennies for boxes placed in each of the classrooms.
This is the second year the school has participated in the campaign, according to Stephanie Stapp, student support specialist at the school.
“Last year we raised over $800. The kids loved it,” she said. “This year is more special because Donna Russell’s granddaughter is the patient of the year for our region.”
Several incentives have been offered to encourage giving. When the school reaches the $300 level, Principal Ben Coltrane will dress in a Steve Erkle costume one day during lunch. At the $400 level, Stapp will wear a wig during lunch. If they reach the $500 level, Russell and her husband Jim will sleep on the school’s roof. If $600 or more is raised, Coltrane and Stapp have agreed to kiss a farm animal that has not yet been identified.
Walnut Elementary is among more than 300 schools that will participate this winter in the campaign. All money raised will help support research and services for patients. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research while improving the quality of life of patients and their families.