CLARION — The Clarion County Career Center completed Cancer Awareness month and the annual “Coins for a Cure” campaign in October.
All funds donated are given to the “Clarion Sunshine Project” at Cancer Care at Clarion Hospital to help patients who are going through cancer treatments. This year marks the Career Center’s 12th year of collecting “Coins for a Cure” donations.
The students were challenged to reach a goal of $5,000 this year. They reached that amount with an total of $5,097.56 and a 12-year total of $51,885.87 – with all the funds being donated to the Cancer Center’s “Clarion Sunshine Project.”
Coin containers were placed in the school lobby to allow students to contribute their loose change to the container with the instructor’s pictures on them.
Students were encouraged to donate “because it is the right thing to do” to help others in their community.
“Coins for a Cure” T-shirts were available for students and staff to purchase, with the profit being donated also. Culinary sold bagged lunches and donated the profits to “Coins for a Cure.”
Also included in the total was a donation from Ron Flick, a member of the local community, who annually brings in his own coin containers to contribute to this worthy cause.
Due to the students passing the goal amount, Jeff Courson, welding instructor, received the highest amount in his container. Student assemblies were held Nov. 13. A few students from each of the programs were selected to drop water balloons on Courson.
Construction also created a special nail hat for him to wear to make sure the balloons broke. Nurse manager Tracy Myers attended the assemblies and shared with the students how important these funds are to assist patients with some of their financial burdens. It allows the patients to concentrate on their treatments of getting better, instead of worrying about how they will cover the extra costs of being off work, gas money, etc.
The teamwork displayed during this “Coins for a Cure” campaign is obvious by the donation amount the students and staff were able to achieve during cancer awareness month.