News

Local third graders raises $3,000 for kids at St. Jude

By Scott Wagar

04/29/2014

Bottineau’s third grade class raised $3,000 in just over a month for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s Math-a-Thon, an annual fund-raiser which assists children with cancer and other life threatening diseases regardless of their families’ ability to pay.

“The third grade class of 2014 raised $3,000 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital,” said Angie Hoff, third grade teacher for the Bottineau School District and advisor to the third grade’s Math-a-Thon project. “Gabriel Deschamp was the highest in fundraising with $557 and Jacqueline Walhort raised $400 for the children at St. Jude’s.”

This year’s third grade class came close to breaking the all time class record by just $295. The class that holds the record is the class of 2013, which raised $3,295.

Overall, Bottineau Elementary School has raised a total of $22,330 since 1993.

During a number of weeks in March, Bottineau’s third graders went throughout the community of Bottineau to raise money for the Math-a-Thon with a goal of raising $1,500, which they doubled.

The St. Jude’s Math-a-Thon event was started by Mavis Hagen, a teacher in the Bottineau school system who lost her life to cancer. Each spring, the third grade teachers (Hoff, Karen Brandvold and Heather Kersten) participate in the Math-a-Thon with their students in honor of Hagen; and, in hopes of raising enough money to assist in finding a cure for cancer.

During the Math-a-Thon, students are granted a math syllabus free of charge through St. Jude’s that assists students in grades K through eight throughout the nation in their math skills. While learning math, the students go out and obtain sponsorships from family, friends and the community to raise money for the children of St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

“The funds raised by the students benefit St. Jude, where doctors and scientists work to eradicate childhood cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases,” stated St. Jude’s webpage on the Math-a-Thon.

Hoff is very excited for the tremendous job the third grade class did in raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“Every year I call in our donation to Math-a-Thon and they express such gratitude and surprise at how much our third grade students can raise to help the children at St. Jude’s,” Hoff said. “Children participating learn through this fundraiser that they live in a very caring community, with surrounding smaller towns, which help others in need.”