District 300 urges community to participate in Relay For Life

Community Unit District 300 is inviting community members to participate in its seventh annual Relay For Life at 6 p.m. Friday, April 8, at Hampshire High School, 1600 Big Timber Road, Hampshire.

Registration now can be completed online.

Relay For Life is a 12-hour, overnight walk to raise funds supporting the American Cancer Society's mission to fight cancer through research, education, advocacy, and patient services. Participants will create campsites filled with food, games, and family-friendly activities while taking turns walking a track to symbolize how cancer never sleeps.

Through these relay events, District 300 has raised more than $420,000 for the American Cancer Society. So far this year, 65 teams and 380 participants have raised nearly $28,800. For more information, visit d300.org/relay.

Relay For Life also is accepting volunteers for various tasks, including setup and takedown and face painting. If you are interested, email Lindsay Sharp at lindsay.sharp@d300.org.

Funds for the food pantry:

Crystal Lake Elementary District 47 teachers, staff and administrators raised $4,735 for the Crystal Lake Food Pantry through a fundraiser last fall.

The money helped the food pantry purchase $37,880 worth of food for its clients, said Bill Eich, president of the Crystal Lake Food Pantry.

The Crystal Lake Elementary Teachers Association started the Fall Jeans Day fundraiser nearly a decade ago to support the local food pantry's mission to combat hunger in McHenry County. The association is raising funds again this month with proceeds going to the Gail Dowdakin Memorial Scholarship fund for students pursuing a degree in education.

Change for Hunger:

Eighteen Elgin Area School District U-46 schools joined a communitywide effort to raise more than $31,000 for Food for Greater Elgin's Change for Hunger Challenge.

Two schools from Burlington Central Unit District 301, a private Elgin school, and corporate partners also participated in the challenge.

Schools were challenged to raise at least $500 in spare change — a goal many schools met or exceeded — during the six-month drive.

“Change For Hunger is designed for our community to unite in the fight against hunger, and we are so grateful to the schools and business partners for the impact they are having,” said Michelle Frampton, executive director of Food for Greater Elgin. “Most importantly, this is a moment that empowers children to make a difference in their worlds. It is an opportunity to literally influence the future through working with our upcoming leaders.”

Kenyon Woods Middle School, located in South Elgin, raised more than $2,500, ranking the highest among the 18 participating U-46 schools.

“It's a huge deal at Kenyon,” Principal Mike Demovsky said. “Giving back is something we've entrenched with our students and staff. From our coat drive, annual St. Baldrick's Foundation event to building wells in Africa, giving back locally and globally is a priority at Kenyon Woods.”

Fox Meadow Elementary School, also in South Elgin, came in second raising more than $2,000. Principal Sjouke Brown said officials tied the challenge to the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports initiative of caring for others.

The school sponsored specific events for three weeks. The first week students were challenged to bring in change by denomination, from pennies on Monday to mixed change on Friday. The second week, the school hosted a food drive. The third week, staff and students could participate in pajama day if they donated a dollar.

“Our school feels wonderful about being helpful to those in need. Our PBIS initiatives of ‘caring for others' and ‘caring for community' were really evident during our campaign for ‘Change for Hunger' and we are honored to have been a part of this challenge,” Brown said. “We know our efforts have made an impact on others, and we are happy to have a positive impact on those who need assistance. We look forward to continuing to work with Food for Greater Elgin next year.”

Corporate partners commit to a $500 match at each school, regardless of how much a school raises and some partners will match dollar for dollar above and beyond the $500 goal.

U-46 schools raised more than $15,000 before the corporate matches this year, the fourth year working with Food for Greater Elgin.

The $31,000 collected is enough to provide 1,550 families with a full grocery cart of nutritious food. Food For Greater Elgin serves an average of 1,200 households monthly — nearly 6,000 individuals of whom half are children.