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Trike-a-thon raises funds for St. Jude
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor.Jared DeMichael’s trike looked squeaky clean after a run through the Kirk Road Car Wash play station.
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When the preschoolers needed a little break, they stopped for a drink and popsicle at Nick’s Place Diner. The diner honored Nick Avery, a friend of Growing Place Preschool, who died from Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2006. Students Logan Perry (left) and Jared DeMichael parked their trikes nearby and stopped in for a treat.
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Gabi Mitchell loved stopping by the St. Jude Hospital play station during the Growing Place Preschool Trike-a-Thon.
By SARAH FOOR
On March 15, the gym at the Growing Place Preschool was overrun with busy tikes on trikes.
The youngsters were biking for a good cause that Tuesday because all their pedaling raised money for their 10th annual St. Jude Trike-a-Thon.
“It’s definitely one of our favorite fundraisers. The kids get to ride around on their bicycles and play and raise money for a wonderful facility,” said preschool administrator Debby Daus. “However, this event has become important to us at Growing Place on a far deeper level in the last few years,” Daus added.
Former Growing Place director Wendy Avery raised money for St. Jude Hospital for many years through the Trike-a-Thon. It wasn’t until 2005 that Avery found her family personally needing the exceptional care of the facility, when her son, Nick, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia that December. Nick Avery lost his battle with leukemia in August 2006, but the amazing care he received at St. Jude awoke a particular passion for the Trike-a-Thon at Growing Place preschool.
“Our families still remember Nick very fondly. This event is very close to our hearts,” Daus shared.
Three-year-old preschoolers visited the Trike-a-Thon on March 15, and found their gymnasium transformed into a fun trike track with play stations. Some stations had an Austintown flavor, including a Rulli Brothers grocery store and a Kirk Road Car Wash. The mini-city included a caf appropriately called “Nick’s Place,” and its very own St. Jude’s Hospital.
The students raised money for the hospital by collecting donations for their involvement. Last year, the school raised $3,000 for St. Jude’s, and the preschool has raised more than $20,000 in their 10 years of the event.
“We’re not aiming for a certain number,” Daus said of the fundraising for 2011. “We know that every cent is being used for a great cause.”