Holy Cross School named top fund-raiser for Pennies for Patients

For the fourth consecutive year, Holy Cross School has been named the top school fund-raiser in Louisiana and Mississippi for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s fund­-raiser “Pennies for Patients.”
    For the effort of being a top fund-raiser, the school was awarded a plaque in the  shape of a penny.
   Since 2005, the first year that Holy Cross participated in Pennies for Patients, the school has raised more than $50,000 for the cause, said Adrian Jackson, a 2000 Holy Cross graduate and current director of campus ministry. Annual drives raised $1,699.50 in 2005; $150 in 2008; $8,045.20 in 2010; $10,731.86 in 2011; $13,428.46 in 2012; and $16,418,30 in 2013.
   Holy Cross School increased its participation in the 2008-09 year after one of its own students, Carl Barré, died of leukemia after valiantly fighting the cancer. He would have been a senior this year, Jackson said.       
   “From then on, we vowed we would do anything for the cause,” Jackson said. “It’s all in the name of Carl. The money not only goes to cancer research, but to the families to help pay for prescriptions and trips, such as to MD Anderson, for treatment.
   Jackson said Holy Cross has competitions among the classes, with the winning class earning a pizza party. This year’s winner was Maria Nicoladis’ sixth-grade homeroom.
   Holy Cross participates in other drives throughout the year, but the LLS fund-raiser is the largest, Jackson said.
   Pennies for Patients is kicked off annually at Holy Cross near the date of Barré’s birthday. His mother Jackie and/or his father Greg Barré visit the school and speak about the importance of fighting cancer.
   “We try to get students excited, and, this year, we tried to knock the fund-raiser out of the park because Carl would have been a senior,” Jackson said.
   Annually, approximately, 12 million students raise money through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) School and Youth Programs like Pennies for Patients and Olive Garden’s Pasta for Pennies. Over the past 16 years, students have raised more than $211 million that goes directly to funding blood cancer research and patient aid.
   In addition to being tops in the two states, Holy Cross also ranked in the top 25 in overall fund-raising, Jackson said.
   “The goal is to always be No. 1 in the area,” Jackson said. “We will continue that.”
            Christine Bordelon can be reached at cbordelon@clarion herald.org.