PCES helps fight juvenile diabetes
Phil Campbell Elementary School wrapped up a fundraiser this week that could end up benefitting two of their own students. In honor of November being Juvenile Diabetes Awareness Month, PCES students have participated in an Iron Bowl-themed fundraiser to raise money for juvenile diabetes with the money being given to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
For one dollar, students were able to purchase a red paper “shoe” to support the University of Alabama or a blue paper “shoe”
to support Auburn University.
Even though Auburn won the actual Iron Bowl, Alabama ended up finishing first in the PCES fundraiser –
156 shoes to 66 shoes, which amounts to $222 raised for juvenile diabetes.
The reason this fundraiser was so important to the students and faculty at PCES is because two of their own students, kindergartner Hunter Todd and fourth-grader Hannah Barnett, have juvenile diabetes.
During the fundraiser, both Hunter and Hannah spoke to individual classes about how juvenile diabetes has affected them. They told their classmates about the special foods they have to eat, the medicines they have to take and the precautions that are involved on a day-to-day basis.
Hunter was diagnosed at three years old and his mother, Barbara Todd, said that they immediately became involved with fundraising for juvenile diabetes research.
“The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation does a walk every year to raise money and we had a team called ‘Hunter’s Herd,’ ” Todd said. “We made T-shirts with zebras on them and sold them to people in the community.”
Todd said that they were able to raise $1300 by selling the T-shirts and she gave all the credit for their success to the community support that they received.
“This community has been so great to support us and Hunter,” Todd said. “We’ve had whole businesses buy these shirts to support us and we have appreciated it so much.”
Todd said that because of a family member’
s illness they were not able to participate in the JDRF walk this year but she still wanted to do a fundraiser.
She said that she had wanted to partner with the schools on a fundraiser for a long time and was happy when PCES Principal Jackie Ergle agreed to participate.
“The faculty there at the school has been so helpful, not just with the fundraiser but with Hunter in general; I just couldn’t have asked for a better group,”
Todd said.
“It’s scary to send your child to school when they have a condition and you don’t know how they’ll be taken care of but when Hunter’s kindergarten teacher found out that he would be in her class this year, she went home and studied about juvenile diabetes and now she knows as much as we know. That’s a good feeling.”
Hannah was first diagnosed with juvenile diabetes where she was seven years old and in the first grade and it hasn’
t always been easy for her.
“I have a pump that I use and I have to take insulin at breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Hannah said. “
I also have to prick my fingers to check my insulin during the day.
But school nurse Diane Baker said that to just meet Hannah, no one would ever know she had juvenile diabetes.
“Hannah is a trooper,” Baker said. “She knows exactly what to do and how to do it, and she doesn’t ever complain. She pays special attention to what she’s eating and she’s good about checking her insulin levels during the day.”
Ergle said that the school normally does some sort of a project in November and she was glad to support a cause that could benefit these two children.
“This fundraiser hits close to home and it really teaches our students the importance of helping others,” Ergle said. “We are glad to try to help bring awareness to juvenile diabetes, especially when we can support two special students like Hannah and Hunter.”
“I’m glad our school did this fundraiser because I want to find a cure for juvenile diabetes,” Hannah added. “That’s the most important thing.”
