Just over $7,000 was raised by Ponoka Elementary School (PES) students during their Terry Fox Run campaign.
Students celebrated the accomplishment Sept. 30 during an assembly before taking to the school grounds to run a specified course.
For vice-principal Nicole Rawlinson the event is an accomplishment of a dedicated group of staff and students. The school has been a big advocate of the run for many years now.
“We were recently just notified by the Terry Fox Foundation, letting us know that we were one of the top 15 fundraisers in all of the province and since 1999 we have raised nearly $320,000,” explained Rawlinson.
The biggest message she hopes to get across to kids is that they can make a difference. It’s about giving back to the community and raising that awareness of cancer.
The run is also a great way to teach goal-setting and to help students complete those goals. Rather than focus on distance, students were given an hour to run the course as many times as they felt they could.
“Every time they lapped they got a stamp,” explained Rawlinson, adding that it created some excitement among the kids.
The campaign also created a strong sense of pride and school community, she added. The focus has changed somewhat over the years from raising as much money as possible to creating a positive school event.
“We’ve kind of changed the focus. It’s not about competing with your peers, it’s about what you can do to make a difference and feeling good about that,” she said.