Des Plaines school raises $500,000 for charity

Jumping rope out on the blacktop may seem like a bit of a throwback, but not at Forest Elementary School in Des Plaines.

Late last month, more than 200 students spent the afternoon walking, jumping rope and dancing outdoors. It was all for a good cause, and even Principal Julie Fogarty got into the fun.

This was the 37th annual spring fundraiser held at the school. Over the years, students and their families have raised more than $500,000 for various causes, including the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association.

This year students rallied around one of their classmates suffering from juvenile arthritis. Consequently, for the first time they earmarked their proceeds for the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation.

Students learned about the disease in health classes and talked about the fundraising aspect in gym class, while practicing their technique at jump roping and dancing for weeks leading up to the event.

But Fogarty says the event's benefits go beyond raising money.

“We're building community,” Fogarty says. “Students learn that helping others can be simple; it doesn't have to be a big endeavor.

“Sometimes jumping rope with your friends is enough — and it's fun, too,” she adds. “Not a bad lesson for a Friday afternoon.”

Besides, she adds, when students feel more connected to their school, they simply learn more.

That was the lesson when the school's first physical education teacher, Chuck Lodding, started the event in 1981 as a Jump Rope for Heart event in participation with the American Heart Association.

Lodding ran it every year until his retirement in 2001, when the current physical education teacher, Jamie Sloan, was hired.

“I continued it every year and have made very few changes, since it is a machine in motion,” Sloan says. “It has become quite the tradition, and is one of the students' favorite days of the year.”

The event starts with students — second- through fifth-graders — walking a 1½-mile trek around the Forest School block. When they return, they break into groups of five or so to jump rope, listen to music and visit with teachers.

Every 20 minutes they stop to do a dance. It could be the “Chicken Dance” or the “Electric Slide.” The afternoon ends with the teachers leading the students in dance to the song “Celebrate” by Kool & the Gang.

Clearly, fundraising plays a big part in the event's success, mostly because proceeds often come straight from children's piggy banks, Sloan says.

“Their typical donation is under $20,” he says, “and it usually takes three days to count all the coins and crumpled dollar bills that students submit.”

Yet, in the end, Sloan and other teachers emphasize the impact of their combined fundraising and the ability to make a difference.

“Forest School is a special place,” Fogarty says, “where we learn together, support each other and celebrate together.”