Girard student organizes fundraiser for rare disease

Staff report

GIRARD

A Girard High School student is raising awareness for a rare, debilitating disease.

Sky McCloskey, a senior, will host a Huntington’s Disease Awareness 2-mile walk at the Girard High School stadium Oct. 28.

Entry is free, but she requests donations to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. The band On Tap will be playing, and there will be face painting and an auction.

Registration and activities will begin at 11 a.m., and the walk will begin after a speech that starts at noon.

There will be a balloon launch in honor of people who are affected by the disease.

Huntington’s disease is inherited and causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, according to mayoclinic.org. It impacts people’s functional abilities and can result in movement, cognitive and psychiatric disorders.

McCloskey organized the fundraiser for her senior project. She chose the Huntington’s Disease Society of America as the recipient because her mother and grandfather have the disease.

For people with the disease, “It’s basically their life. It’s who they are,” she said.

She wanted to raise awareness because most people don’t know about it unless they are affected by it, she said.

McCloskey hopes to make it an annual event.

Her teacher, Maria Perez, said the senior project is designed to allow students to showcase their skills and knowledge. The goal is to create something or organize a community project.

McCloskey’s walk will give visibility to an important cause, she said.

“The community and the student benefit from the community-service projects,” she said. “It gives them a good perspective.”