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The Growing Place bikes for a cure
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Neighbors | Amanda Tonoli.Cali Ferrell and Kaidyn Zach pretended to fish at St. Jude's Trike-a-Thon on March 2.
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Neighbors | Amanda Tonoli.A lemonade stand was offered at the Trike-a-Thon. Pictured is Briana Schrader and Sierra Grace.
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Neighbors | Amanda Tonoli.Preschool students from Growing Place hosted St. Jude's Trike-a-thon on March 2. They enjoyed an afternoon of games, snacks and time with their parents and grandparents.
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Neighbors | Amanda Tonoli.Addison Houser and her grandmother, Lori Miller, served Camden Goodlet pizza at the Trike-a-Thon at Growing Place.
By AMANDA TONOLI
The Growing Place Preschool hosted its annual Trike-a-Thon — also referred to as bike day — on March 2 and 3. This fundraiser, now in its fifteenth year, raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Debby Daus, the director at Growing Place, said in the last 15 years the preschool has raised $30,000.
“Usually it’s couple thousand [dollars] each year,” Daus said.
On the far side of the room sat a decorated cardboard house labeled Nick’s Place. It may look like just another structure to the band of 4- and 5-year-olds running in, out and around, but it’s symbolic.
Nick’s place is named after Nick Avery, the son of Wendy Avery, the former director at Growing Place. Wendy Avery assisted in running this fundraiser for five years, only to be awarded a two-day stay for her and her family in Memphis, Tenn. to see what they were raising money for, at St. Jude’s. Shortly after the trip, Wendy Avery’s son was diagnosed with Acute Myleoid Leukemia. Nick Avery was treated at St. Jude’s for five months and passed due to a relapse in August 2006. The cardboard house serves as a reminder as to what the fundraiser is really for — besides all the tricycling fun.
Lori Miller, the grandmother of student Addison Houser, said she likes that Growing Place hosts events such as bike day because it is so good for the community — to reach out and actually have a part in it.
Jean Samargia, a substitute and retired pre-k teacher, attended bike day, noting that it was enjoyable to see the students’ imaginations at work, free from television and internet.
Samargia gestured toward the doctor station, acknowledging two students “performing surgery” on Daus with leftover supplies brought in by some of the chaperones. Cali Ferrell brushed Daus’s hair while Briana Schrader bandaged her arm.
“I like playing with stuff on bike day,” Ferrell said. “Who doesn’t like to play with toys?”
In addition to providing “life saving” operations to their chaperones, the students also gathered around the restaurant station to serve both fake and real food.
One student, Camden Goodlet, said his favorite part of bike day was the food — more importantly, the ice cream.