Spending time in jail for leukemia and lymphoma.

On Thursday February 23, FCCLA, Family Career and Community Leaders of America, raised money for Pennies for Patients to help with research to save children’s lives. The organization helps children with leukemia and lymphoma. To raise money, students paid to see assistant principals locked up in a jail located in the lobby.

The type of cancer Pennies for Patients supports can strike children from ages zero to 19 and it causes 33 percent of children’s deaths from ages zero to 19. Everyday about 129 children living in America are diagnosed with Leukemia and about 60 children lose the fight. Also, about 216 children are diagnosed with lymphoma and about 55 pass away everyday.
“The lady in charge of pennies for patients that comes to our school and talks about it gave us that idea and we did it last year and we did really well, so we thought we would try it again,” said senior and FCCLA president Brooklyne Wright.

Students participated to keep teachers in jail. Seeing principals sitting in a jail motivated them to donate money. The house that raised the most money would get a Chick-Fil-A breakfast. For every dollar donated, time would be added on and the principals would have to stay in the jail for longer.

“We chose to use the jail because it would be more beneficial bringing in money for Pennies for Patients because who wouldn’t want to see their assistant principals locked up for the day,” said Wright.

Throughout the school day, assistant principals and other faculty would sit in the jail until another one came and took their place. They were chosen by whoever volunteered. Mr. Riddley, Mrs. Stewart, Mr. Huber, Mr. Tony and Mrs. Richardson were locked up.

FCCLA raised a little under $1,000. The Bonitas house raised the most money, which was around $180.