Students at Springville Elementary School had a chance to get “silly” on May 2 when they covered third-grade teacher Tom Bettner with aerosol string to celebrate the culmination of the school’s “Pennies for Patients” campaign.
For three weeks leading up to the event, students at the school collected pennies and other coins to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the world’s largest voluntary health organization for funding research, cures and treatment access for blood cancer patients.
Although the school had a goal of $1,500, students went beyond that figure and collected more than $1,700 by the end of the campaign.
For meeting and exceeding the goal, two students from each class had their name drawn from a hat to take the stage in front of their peers and represent their class while blanketing a teacher with bright colors.
Bettner, a Mt. Laurel native and current Medford resident, said he’s known at the school for often volunteering for fun activities, and so his name was on the shortlist when student council was trying to determine who would be willing to be coated in string.
In the past, Bettner said he’s been involved in events such as getting pied in the face or sitting in a dunk tank, so being covered in string was just a another fun opportunity to do whatever he could to help raise money for a good cause.
“I can still have fun with it and I don’t mind being the butt of jokes,” Bettner said.
Bettner said he didn’t know if students would raise as much money as they did, but they ultimately once again surpassed his expectations as they do daily during their normal education.
“It was above and beyond what I think anybody expected, and not only that, it’s going to be great just for the kids to see if we do something like this next year,” Bettner said.
This year’s Pennies for Patients campaign was organized by school nurse Cece Spehalski, who said in addition to raising money for a great cause, the event also helped honor one of the school’s former students who was diagnosed with Leukemia.
Although that student has since moved on to Hartford School, Spehalski said he was still in their hearts, and so the Pennies for Patients campaign was a way for the school to still show that love.
“It’s a lot of individual donating,” Spehalski said. “One little girl told me she has a piggy bank that says ‘save, spend and share,’ and I thought that was awesome.”
As the assembly coincided with the school’s superhero dress up day, before the assembly began, Spehalski asked every student raise their hand and pat themselves on the back for helping make this year’s fundraiser so successful.
“Every single person at Springville School is a superhero for what you did for Leukemia and Lymphoma,” Spehalski said.
