Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

PES Students Raise Funds For St. Jude Hosptial

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital announced the successful completion of Math-A-Thon at Prescott Elementary School (PES). Over one thousand dollars were raised by the local group.

Math-A-Thon, now in its 21st year, is an educationally based fund-raising program in which students obtain sponsors for the number of math problems completed in special workbooks provided for students in grades K-9. The program is sponsored nationally by Six Flags Theme Parks, which provide free passes to its parks for every student raising $35 or more.

This year 19 second grade students at PES took part in the Math-A-Thon program sponsored by St. Jude's.

Cancer kills more children than any other disease. St. Jude's is the largest childhood cancer research hospital in the world and it provides medical treatment for ill children.

This Math-A-Thon program is designed to strengthen the students math skills by providing materials, which supplement their basic math curriculum. There are 200 problems designed to be fun, intriguing and a positive learning experience and at the same time helping children whom are in a battle with cancer.

These extraordinary students raised $1,185.65. See photos for list of students.

The students who participate in the program learn to do more than just math problems; they also learn the importance of helping children who are less fortunate than themselves.

Through the Math-A-Thon they are able to help provide a future for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Children with more than 200 forms of cancer and other catastrophic diseases find hope at St. Jude.

Since its founding in 1962 by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, the survival rate for most forms of pediatric cancer have risen dramatically. Today more than 70% of all children with cancer will survive their bout with the disease. St. Jude fully credits these successes in treatment to the generous support of people around the world, including the students at Prescott Elementary School.

"We are very proud of our students for working so hard on the Math-A-Thon," Julie Ingram, the PES counselor and volunteer coordinator for St. Jude, said. "With their help St. Jude Hospital will be able to create new treatments that may one day lead to a cure for many forms of cancer that will benefit the children of our state, our country, and around the world.

"I also want to extend our thanks to the Prescott community for supporting our students," Ingram said. "It takes all of us to make a difference in the lives of children with cancer, and we can all feel proud of our response."