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Cardinals ‘March Madness’ raises money for Relay
By Samantha Blanton
March Madness is under way at one local elementary school.
Scotts Creek School students participating in “Cardinals Against Cancer” have been taking advantage of the longstanding North Carolina-Duke basketball rivalry to sell Tar Heel feet and Duke Blue Devil logos to raise money for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.
The idea came to Cheryl Blanton, fifth-grade teacher and Scotts Creek’s Relay coordinator, while she was walking down the hall one day.
Students at Scotts Creek School have been busy raising money for the upcoming Jackson County Relay for Life by selling North Carolina Tar Heel feet and Duke Blue Devils logos during a fund-raising version of “March Madness.” Participating students include, from left, Taylor Parks, Cody Pannell, Trevor Bradley, Maleah Mathis, Morgan Buchanan, Jacob Fiskeaux, Sierra Walker, Maggie DeWeese, Tanner Cogdill and Whitney Massingale.
“At a Relay captain’s meeting we saw that instead of stars, the posters this year are little feet, and they almost looked like a Tar Heel symbol,” Blanton said. “At school the next day it seemed that every other student I met in the hall had on either a Carolina or a Duke T-shirt,” she said. “That’s when the idea of a fund-raising competition came to me.”
The school’s March Madness competition will continue through the tournament season. As of last week, the Tar Heels held a big lead (172-55) over the Blue Devils.
While Relay for Life is a faculty and staff fund-raiser, students quickly got behind the basketball-themed effort, Blanton said.
The school’s team has other fund-raisers planned until Relay night, which will be Friday, May 11, at the Cullowhee Recreation Complex. The next one will allow students will the rare opportunity to wear a hat in school for a day – March 30 – if they donate $1 to the cause.
When asked why school staff members participate in Relay for Life, Blanton said it’s to show students how important it is to be involved in their community.
“We participate to help students become part of a community project, and to give back to the community,” she said. “It really fosters a sense of caring and compassion for those who are fighting cancer.”
Scotts Creek participates in honor of staff cancer survivors, retired teachers Carolyn Colton and Kathleen Ensley, and in memory of those the school family has lost to the disease.
“We also want to remember the faculty members we have lost to cancer – Sharon Beeco and Carol Young,” Blanton said.
The team has 15 members but hopes to recruit more.
“Any Scotts Creek faculty, students or parents are invited to join the team and help with an important cause,” Blanton said.
Scotts Creek’s team goal this year is $3,200, and they are asking for the community’s help. Anyone can donate money to Scotts Creek’s team by visiting online at www.acsevents.com/jacksonrelayforlife or by mailing checks to Cardinals Against Cancer, c/o Cheryl Blanton, Scotts Creek School, 516 Parris Branch Rd., Sylva, NC 28779.
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