On a bright and sunny Saturday morning, more than 700 students, facultyand members of the Harborfields community gathered on the Harborfields High School track to participate in the ninth annual walkathon fundraising event to benefit Make-A-Wish Suffolk County on April 18.
This year, all donations collected for the walk will be used to grant the wishes of at least two children battling life-threating illnesses. One of the children who will benefit is 9-year-old Jake from Medford, who is fighting Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The generous donations of the Harborfields community will grant Jake’s wish to go on a Disney cruise with his family.
Sponsored jointly by the Make-A-Wish Committee of Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School, the Acts of Kindness Committee at Washington Drive Primary School, as well as the schools’ respective PTAs, the event raised more than $17,000. Many of the Harborfields students who attended the walkathon raised money in a number of creative ways, including donating their weekly allowances, running bake sales and lemonade stands, and selling hand-made bracelets.
“It’s a great event because it really brings the community together,” said Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School third-grade teacher and one of the event coordinators Diane Brown. “I think the students really understand that they are doing something great to help another person.”
Photo Caption: Make-a-Wish: Harborfields students, faculty and members of the community rallied together to raise more than $17,000 for Make-A-Wish Suffolk County to grant 9-year-old Jake’s wish.
Photo courtesy of the Harborfields Central School District
