UNION, NJ — Gold handprints in the shape of a ribbon adorn the playground at the Battle Hill Elementary School on Killian Place in Union. And often, the students come outside to take another look at the special masterpiece they have created.
Alison Brehm, fourth-grade teacher and student council advisor at the school, says that the beautiful hand-printed ribbon represents a meaningful mission to the students, parents and faculty at the school.
“This is something that is very meaningful to us,” said Brehm, of the fundraiser for the Team Campbell Foundation, an organization that was formed in 2014 in memory of Campbell Hoyt, who battled Anaplastic Ependymoma, a rare cancer of the brain and spine. She passed away in 2014 at the age of 8.
The foundation assists pediatric cancer patients and their families who are faced with a cancer diagnosis. Some of their efforts include raising awareness, funding research, and providing a variety of services to patients and their families.
“This is a fundraiser that is very close to our hearts,” said Brehm. According to Brehm, Campbell Hoyt was niece to Mark Hoyt, principal of Battle Hill School.
Battle Hill Elementary School students and staff members add their handprints in gold paint to the Battle Hill playground as part of a fundraiser for the Team Campbell Foundation, raising $1,200.
Brehm says that each student and staff member got the opportunity to place their handprint on the playground.
“Each student rolled their hand in some gold paint, then placed their handprint on the playground,” said Brehm.
Between the students, parents, and staff, the school managed to raise more than $1,200 for the foundation.
According to Brehm, the students enjoyed working together to create the gold ribbon, as well as feeling a strong sense of pride. “The kids love looking at their handprints,” she said. “Some of the kids weren’t big fans of gold paint on their hands, but they all loved it at the end.”
The money raised will help the Team Campbell Foundation to continue its mission to help pediatric cancer patients and their families. The foundation has sent patients and their families on special outings, such as to Great Adventure, and provided box seats at local baseball games, giving the families a much-needed respite from rounds of difficult treatments. In addition, the foundation plans on providing scholarships to the siblings of young patients.
“The Battle Hill PTA offered their time to ensure that each child participated in this memorable experience,” said Brehm. “It will be on the Battle Hill playground for years to come. These experiences not only helped members of the community in need, it enriched the lives of the students, parents and teachers by helping others.”
For additional information about the Team Campbell Foundation, plesae visit http://www.teamcampbellfoundation.org/.