Silverdale Seahawks "Sock It" to Childhood Cancer
Sock It for Kids With Cancer is a fun and unique way for kids in the Chattanooga area to give back to other kids they may or may not know who are affected by pediatric cancer. The goal of this fundraiser is to give children exposure to philanthropic activities, while also helping them gain confidence, improve communication skills, learn about personal responsibility, and practice math and financial skills.
This program is exciting for students and easy to implement, because the foundation provides all marketing materials, handouts, and collection buckets. Previous participating schools and churches include Brainerd Baptist School, Thrasher Elementary, Signal Mountain United Methodist, Whitwell High School, and Chattanooga Christian School, where students raised a collective $3,263 to support the foundation’s mission and services.
During the months of February and March, the middle schoolers at Silverdale Baptist Academy raised $1,587 for the Austin Hatcher Foundation through the Sock It for Kids With Cancer initiative. While seventh grade teacher Courtney McDonald helped oversee the project, the middle school student council actually took this program on and handled most of the logistics at the school.
“The kids were so excited to raise money,” said McDonald. “They would check the tally boards every day to see who is in the lead and how much they had raised.”
The children were asked to find their favorite or matchless sock and collect loose change for one week. At the end of the week, the funds raised through the change collection were donated to support the programs and services provided by the foundation at no cost to the families. As part of a friendly competition across all middle school homeroom classes, the classroom that raised the most money received a pizza party and the opportunity to decorate a male teacher’s hair and beard as well.
Austin Hatcher Foundation Development Coordinator Julia Sharp also came to Silverdale Baptist Academy as they finished up the program and spoke about the impact the students were making on families facing pediatric cancer.
“When Julia came and accepted the check on behalf of the Austin Hatcher Foundation and spoke about the foundation’s mission and Hatch’s story, I believe it really opened the kids’ eyes,” said McDonald. “They truly understood the importance of what they did and realized that they were raising money for kids their own age struggling with pediatric cancer.”
Fundraising programs like these support the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer’s mission to erase the effects of pediatric cancer and optimize each child’s quality of life through essential specialized intervention beginning at the time of diagnosis and continuing throughout survivorship. The Foundation provides services to children with cancer as well as their families at no cost.
To learn more about hosting the Sock It for Kids With Cancer program at your school, parish, or organization, contact Julia Sharp at 423.243.3470 or julia@hatcherfoundation.org.
