Students raise funds for cancer hospital

Students in the Wahkiakum School District have started their third year of raising funds for Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland.

Students in the elementary, middle and high schools started a week of activities on Monday that will generate money for the hospital and give the students a series of fun activities.

Schools held assemblies Monday to introduce the "Kids Making Miracles" program.

In the assembly at Wahkiakum High School, Mallory Tyler, Doernbecher's development coordinator, thanked the students for holding their third fund raising program. Their activities will increase people's awareness of cancer and how it is treated. The money they raise will go for a variety of uses ranging from buying toys and stuffed animals to help young patients feel comfortable to paying costs of research efforts to find cures for cancer.

At the end of the school year, she added, students from schools which have had fund raising programs are invited to a Candlelight Program at Doernbecher to rekindle the eternal flame that burns in the memorial garden at the hospital's entrance.

Wahkiakum School Board member Tina Schubert described her family's experience with Doernbecher. She described her feelings years ago on learning that her oldest son, Steven, had 99 percent cancer cells in his blood and would die within weeks if treatment weren't started soon. The doctors at Doernbecher were able to treat the cancer, and Steven is now a junior at Wahkiakum High School.

"I can't tell you enough of how they make you feel," she said. "They told us there would be bad days and there would be good days. That was the worst day of my life.

"There have been many bad days since then. I think today is a good day because I see all of you out there willing to contribute."

Activities planned for the high school included a torchlight parade on Monday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, students sold wrist bands and Dolly heads--the Doernbecher mascot. On Thursday, students will sell root beer or orange floats at 6 p.m. at the high school and then have a showing of Kung Fu Panda II. On Friday, they'll hold a dance and crown the king and queen.

Faculty selected a boy and girl from each class to be their royalty and compete for king and queen with each class raising donations for its royalty.

Members of the court are seniors Ashley Silva and Blayne Edwards, juniors Marissa Washington and Cody Hauff, sophomores Maya Stanley and Zach Calvert, and freshmen Jessica Thomas and Trystan Mendez.

In another fund raising project, students have prepared jars with the names of faculty members; the person earning the most funds will have a pie in the face at the closing assembly.

Coordinating the activities at the high school are the student council and the Key Club, which is the high school age club sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Cathlamet.

The Kiwanis Club has been involved in other activities. It teamed with Fire District 4 for a Boot Drive; over the weekend firemen collected $1,428.10 which will be donated to Doernbecher.

The Kiwanis Club has also had coin collection jars in Cathlamet businesses which collected over $200 in February, and a series of gift basket auctions generated nearly $1,000, with all the money going to Doernbecher.