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Students at Matthews Elementary participated in a “Pasta for Pennies” campaign over two weeks, which benefited the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The school’s parents and students collected and donated more than $11,000 to give to children with blood cancers in the event, organized by Olive Garden. The school’s Character Ambassadors led the charge to collect donations and promoted activities like Pajama Day, “Lick Leukemia” (which gave students a lollipop for a 25-cent donation) and “Stuck for a Buck,” for which students donated a dollar and voted to duct-tape a staff member to the wall.
In the K-2 category, Brian Lowery’s first-grade class won, collecting $1,000. Lisa Bryant’s third-grade class won for the 3-5 category, collecting $400. Matthews Elementary temporarily held the state record for collecting the most money in the program, which began in 1994, but has since inspired another N.C. school to surpass their efforts. The two schools together have now collected over $23,000.
“We hope that the people never give up,” said Caitlyn Mahoney, a Matthews fourth-grader. “It is good to know that we are helping them find a cure.”
Pictured are the Ambassadors: front row: Katie Carr, Brianna Alford, Kyle Ziefert, David Vuong, Alexa Spoto, Caitlyn Mahoney; middle row: Ayla Ajanovic, Brooke Peters, Cooper Lee, Elizabeth Gill, Emma Edwards, Ben Baxter, Kirsty Zubko; back: Shalan Fry, dean of students.
