It
was a morning full of vibrant activity as eighty-five student and adult
participants ran at the second annual, one mile, Color Fun Run on Saturday, May
20 at the Manchester School in Windham.
The
Color Fun Run was initiated and inspired by Standards Based Teacher, Jess Carle
and School Counsel, Jess Weatherbee to raise money for their students to go on
school field trips that support project based learning. They believed this fun
run would be a great option to raise those funds and to keep the children
active. It was such a success last year they decided to do it again, with the
hope that it continues to be an annual event.
This
year, however, there was an additional fundraising effort, as fourth-grade teachers
Adam Beal and Leah Fischer and their students, joined forces with Carle and
Weatherbee to help raise funds for fourth grade student, Nolan Cyr and his
family.
Cyr was
diagnosed with osteosarcoma on April 11. His classmates and teacher, Ms.
Fischer wanted to be of help in some way and thought it would be a great idea
to participate in this year’s Color Fun Run to help Cyr and his family with
medical expenses.
A couple
of fundraising efforts have been set up to help Cyr and his family, of which
the students wanted to contribute. One fundraising effort is through a website
set up by Cyr’s aunt, Jessica Messina, and can be accessed at: www.youcaring.com/nolancyr-800022. A Facebook page has also been
set up to list the various events and fundraisers planned at: www.facebook.com/fightlikeacyr/
Due to
Cyr’s level of strength and determination to fight this cancer, the theme
behind these fundraising efforts is: Fight Like a Cyr. “Nolan always says that, ‘cancer picked the wrong kid to mess with’ and I
think he really got that part right,” stated Fischer.
And thus, the fourth-grade Color Run Team was the
Fight Like a Cyr Team. It is important to Cyr’s classmates that he knows they
care about him. “I want to make Nolan happy,” stated fourth grade student Carly
Mazerolle. “I also want to let him know that we are here for him.”
“Since his
diagnosis, he has been receiving support from the staff at Barbara Bush
Children’s Hospital,” stated Fischer. “He has been a huge trooper throughout
the whole ordeal and we admire him for his strength and courage.”
Not only
is Cyr built of strength and courage, but it also seems he is wise and
thoughtful beyond his
Because of
Saturday’s Color Run and the funds raised for Cyr, he will be donating $1,500 to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital.
“Overall,
I am speechless with the amount of togetherness that this community has shown,”
Fischer said. “From the fundraisers, to the students
coming up with ideas on how to help, to the cards and presents that go home to
Nolan - it all just takes my breath away. These students have shown what it
takes to push through a hard time and Nolan has been the role model for that.”
Once again, it seems the second annual Color Fun Run
was a complete success, not only in raising funds but also in the number of
individuals who came together to make this run happen. “We are so grateful to
have many community sponsors which we will personally thank,” Weatherbee said.
“A huge thank you goes out to the Manchester staff and parents who not only
came out to support the event and cheer everyone on, but volunteered to
help! The event ran very smoothly and we could not have done it without
everyone coming together and helping.”
There is no stopping a small community in coming
together to meet the needs of its members. The students now will get to
experience hands-on learning and discovery through enlightening field trips; and
the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital gained extra funds to help other children
in need.
The Windham and Raymond communities are there for
each other and for one individual, in particular. “We are all here for Nolan
and his family and, clearly, Windham is too. Fischer said
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