Lake Zurich High Charity Bash aids Crohn’s foundation

The Lake Zurich High School Charity Bash 2011 is under way at the school and runs through Dec. 11.

This is the ninth annual LZHS Charity Bash event. In the previous eight years, the event has raised more than $275,000 for children’s charities, including last year’s total of $41,132 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Illinois.

None of this would be possible without the help of the Lake Zurich Unit District 95 families and area businesses.

This year, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation has been selected as the charity. There are two criteria for selection: first, the charity must have a connection to Lake Zurich and, second, the charity must benefit children.

CCFA was recommended by several Lake Zurich High School students who have a personal connection to the charity. Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis are in the family of inflammatory bowel diseases, and they are affecting a growing number of children.

The cause for the disease has not been discovered, it can go into remission and then reappear without warning, it has no cure, and most treatments are still in the experimental stage.

The goals are to raise awareness of Crohn’s and Colitis among the student population and the community, and to raise money that will go toward education programs for children.

During the years, one of the most successful activities has been the Auction Wall, which has raised more than $47,000 in total.

Auction items are placed on a wall in the cafeteria. For three days during Charity Bash, Dec. 7-9, students, their families, and faculty will have access to the wall and can place bids. By the end of the week, the highest bid wins the item.

Since the inception of the Auction Wall, about 90 percent of the items up for auction have sold for more than their original value.