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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 12/18/2007 |
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FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT: Judy Everett Ramos, 817-399-2025 |
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Cancer Tragedy Inspires Second Grader’s Project Elementary Student Organizes Fundraiser Eight-year-old Sophie Rodgers has dealt with the tragedy of cancer in her family twice in her young life. Her grandfather died of cancer, and her grandmother is a cancer survivor. These family members inspired her to organize a campus project to raise funds for cancer research. The project included making a personal pitch to her principal, involving the HEB ISD Child Nutrition Services department, and getting her classmates to lick their yogurt lids clean. Sophie organized “Pink Lids for Life” at Meadow Creek Elementary School earlier this fall. Her goal was to collect 500 pink lids from Yoplait yogurt. As the project winds down, she has collected more than 1,000 lids. She will pack the lids and postmark them by December 30 and send them to Yoplait. The company will donate 10 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for every pink lid they receive. Sophie’s efforts have raised more than $100 – not bad for a second grader who was called to action one night in October while watching movies with her mother. “Me and my mom were having a girls night, and I saw a commercial about cancer,” Sophie said. “They said to collect the pink lids to raise money for breast cancer. That night, I wanted to make a fundraiser for our school to collect pink lids. Sophie made an appointment to propose the project to Principal Mike Wagner. Wagner called Mary Beth Golangco, director of Child Nutrition Services, to ensure there was enough yogurt available in the cafeteria to support Sophie’s project. “We do lots of service learning at our school,” Wagner said. “It’s exciting when a student steps out and brings an idea to us,” he said. Golangco said it was easy to support Sophie’s endeavor. “We were happy to encourage students to eat more yogurt,” she said. “In this case, it’s a healthy food choice going toward a worthy cause, and we made sure Meadow Creek had enough supply to see the project through.” Sophie set up a collection box and poster and waited for the yogurt rush to begin. “She got so much support,” her mother, Cathy Rodgers, a Meadow Creek teacher, said. “The older students understood the project, but even kindergarten kids could participate. The sight of all those kids licking their lids clean was a beautiful thing for Sophie, because she knew she was helping cure cancer.” Sophie said that while “Pink Lids for Life” was a campus fundraiser, it was always a personal project for her. “I wanted to do this because my grandfather died of cancer and my grandmother had cancer. Even though it wasn't breast cancer, they still had cancer, and this was one way to help save someone's life from any kind of cancer." ### HEB - Empowering Today to Excel Tomorrow |
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