Habitat for Hope helps families with very sick children, and students at Bolton and Arlington high schools boosted the organization Friday with a check for nearly $14,000.
Now in its second year, the Links of LUV fund-raising competition between the two schools raised $13,768.98, about $3,000 more than the previous year.
Bolton came away with the fund-raising honors again this year, raising $9,501.60. Arlington students raised $4,267.38.
Habitat for Hope is a Millington-based group of volunteers and staff who support, serve and care for families in the Mid-South facing the serious or long-term illness of a child. This year’s event honored a Virginia girl, Ellie, who received local medical treatment for cancer but who died in December. The students celebrated her 1,061 days of life with this year’s fundraiser, and her parents attended the check presentation ceremony at the Oct. 3 Bolton-Arlington football game.
Bolton senior Kyra Jones, a volunteer at Habitat for Hope and co-leader for her school’s 150-member Links of LUV club, got to know the young cancer patient and continues interacting with others. She finds it rewarding to welcome the sick children, their families and also the healthy siblings who often are overlooked.
“Habitat for Humanity is a place where the whole family can go and hang out and talk and have a support system,” she said.
She’s pleased with how students and teachers at both schools raised so much this year.
“The money will house a family for all of a year,” she said. “They won’t have to worry about the financial aspects of living in Memphis for the time while their child is being treated.”
She said the competition earned its name because it linked the efforts of two schools to help families.
Bolton High School’s efforts included classroom competitions that raised nearly $3,000 alone in a two-week period, with the top three classes earning a meal donated by three Bartlett-area restaurants.
They also sold T-shirts and promoted a group photo for everyone who bought a shirt. Her fellow students liked supporting the cause and also getting out of class for the picture, she said.
“It is a student-led and student-driven fundraiser, and we have a teacher sponsor who is amazing,” she said.
Arlington High School senior Tatum Cabot also said participation was rewarding.
“Seeing kids who have cancer and meeting their families has always touched my heart,” she said.
As executive president of the AHS Student Government Association (SGA), she worked with other students to get people involved, spread the word on social media, let people know they could enter a code at registration for the recent LUVMUD 5K to donate to either school’s fundraiser, and coordinate with other clubs to sell T-shirts and other efforts to raise funds.
“It was just getting my fellow students involved and excited about what it entailed,” she said.
The Sept. 22 shooting threat at AHS disrupted the fundraising efforts temporarily, she said, but the students persevered and saw their results in the big check handed over on Friday.
Cabot said she particularly liked seeing the Habitat for Hope representatives at the game and how their faces lit up at all of the community support.
“I think we were happy with the amount we raised, because any amount helps,” Cabot said.
For more information about Habitat for Hope, visit their website at http://www.habitatforhope.org/.
Written by Carolyn Bahm, Express editor. Contact her at (901) 433-9138 or via email to bartlett.editor@journalinc.com.
