BY DARRELL HALEN
After her students raised more than $5,000 to fight diabetes, Alicia LaFrance, Pelham Elementary School’s principal, kept a promise to them to kiss a pig.
Actually, she did it five times – once in front of each grade.
The school not only reached its goal, it more than doubled it.
In just a week, it raised $10,549.58.
“Thank you for all your hard work, boys and girls. Awesome,” LaFrance told an assembly of first-grade students on Friday, May 11.
The week-long fundraiser, “Dollars for Diabetes,” culminated with LaFrance kissing “Diamond,” a 14-week-old pig from Owens Farm in Pelham. When LaFrance kissed the young swine in front of students, they cheered.
The fundraiser was organized by the school nurse and others, with the parents of three students who have diabetes providing a lot of support.
“I just said I would commit to any idea they had but I didn’t want to shave my head,” LaFrance said with a smile. “This seemed like a wonderful idea to me. I like animals, but I’ve never been that up close and personal with a pig.”
The money is going to two groups: the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the American Diabetes Association.
During the week, students brought in money for chores they did at home. The classroom in each grade that brought in the most money each day won an extra recess.
Layne Philipson, 10, a fourth-grader, brought in $28 by picking up sticks in her backyard and cleaning the kitchen.
Alyssa Pantaleo, 10, brought in $10 by cleaning the kitchen and bathroom and helping clean the dishes.
“We wanted to teach the kids they could do something for their community and make a difference,” said Susan Hancock, the school’s nurse.
Through the program, students learned about diabetes and the importance of healthy eating and exercise. On Friday, each grade walked outside or in the gymnasium before watching LaFrance kiss Diamond.
Diabetes is a condition in which the body has trouble regulating its own blood sugar levels. The first successful insulin preparations came from cows and pigs.
A personal cause
Helping to raise money to cure and prevent diabetes and to improve the lives of those it affects is particularly meaningful at the school, where three students and a teacher have the condition.
“They want to thank you for all your support and efforts to help find a cure for their disease,”
Hancock told the first-graders.
Pat Scanlon, whose daughter, Cathryn, has diabetes said she was touched by the outpouring of support at the school.
“The kids pitched in so much, what a sense of community I felt,” she said. “As a parent, I’m touched they’ve gone this far.”
Two other parents who helped were Sheila Lapa, whose son, Jonathan, has diabetes, and Tracy Shatford, whose daughter, Jessica, has the condition.
The names of the students who brought in donations were written on paper shoes that were placed on school walls during the week. Scanlon said the kids were excited to see their names on the shoes.
The community donated raffle prizes as incentives for teachers to donate. When a teacher made a contribution, their name was entered for a chance to win a raffle prize.
The day before the week ended, the kids had not only surpassed their $5,000 goal but were just $1,200 shy from reaching $10,000. They were challenged to reach the $10,000 mark.
Because they did so, physical education teacher Tony Bolduc, music teacher Erin Palmer and teacher Jennifer Pendergast also kissed Diamond.
“We were overwhelmed by the generosity of the community,” Hancock said.
Pendergast, 37, who was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 21, said the fundraiser was unique for an important reason – it put real faces to a medical condition.
Kids she doesn’t know passed her in the hallway during the week and told her they hoped they could help find a cure.
“It was humbling and emotional,” Pendergast said of the program’s success. “This was a different sort of fundraiser.”