Students raise $6,000 for Doernbecher

By Kaden Anderson

With the help of the community, families, and parents, Wahkiakum High School Key Club was able to raise over $6,000 during our annual fundraising event. The money will be given to the Kids Making Miracles Foundation at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland. This year, the series of March fundraiser events was called ‘Doernbecher Days’ instead of ‘Doernbecher Week’ because Key Club wanted to lengthen the fundraiser beyond one week.

Every year, we kick off the events with a school wide assembly. This year, Leihanna Carlson was the guest speaker. She described her and her family's experience at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Her son Beau Carlson, a sophomore at Wahkiakum High School, was a patient at Doernbecher due to a brain injury earlier this fall. Key Club gives a big thank you to Leihanna and her family for sharing their story with us. We believe her inspiring words played a crucial role in the success of Doernbecher Days this year.

The most successful Doernbecher Days event was the dinner and auction. Over $4,500 was raised at the one night event, which took place in the elementary school Multi-purpose Room. Over 40 people arrived to enjoy the homemade flatbread tacos that were served and prepared by Linda Ashe and Steve Wright, along with the delicious barbecued salmon donated by Willie Johnson and cooked by Shane Pfenniger. The auction items were donation based as well, from a wide variety of community members. We extend our gratitude to the generous members of our community who put forth items for the event. Brian McClain donated his time to facilitate a live auction that kept everyone laughing!

Two very successful events that were kid oriented were the Dodgeball Tournament and the Root Beer Float Sale. Elementary, middle and high school students made teams of up to eight people and competed against one another in the Dodgeball Tournament. Prizes were received for ‘Best Dressed’ and for the winners of the tournament. About $600 was raised at this event, all of which goes to Kids Making Miracles Foundation.

Selling root beer floats school wide (K-12) has become part of this yearly tradition. All of the supplies such as the ice cream, cups, spoons, etc. were generously donated by the Kiwanis Club of Cathlamet and Sue Kuller. About 200 floats were sold for $1 each. Not only do the floats help us raise money, but the young students love them! We have found that it is a great way to get the kids excited about the fundraiser while having a refreshing treat at the same time.

Key Club is proud and grateful to have been able to work together with community members to make such a substantial donation. Our small community is so incredibly generous. Doernbecher Days is something, as high school students, we enjoy doing and it makes us happy to bring the community together for such a good cause. Key club is beyond grateful for everyone who donated their time, money, and items in support of the hospital which serves many of the children from our community. We couldn’t have done it without you, Wahkiakum!