Pennies for Patients

Today I spoke at an assembly in Humphrey to the K-12 students. I want to start by saying that they were amazing! Everyone was so well behaved, and the had GREAT questions! Their campaign will last three weeks and at the end of it the money they raise will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Also, today they announced that they will be raising money to duck-tape one of their teachers to the wall!! Which ever teacher has the most votes will be taped to the wall! $1 will buy three feet of tape and one vote! I can't wait to hear who wins...what an awesome idea! AND...today they said that any money that is raised for that will go to Charli - how awesome! We will be sure to donate that money to an equally awesome organization in their name.

After I quickly introduced myself I showed a five minute video of Charli - so the kids could "meet" her. It was so funny to hear how the kids reacted to seeing her different pictures! Some got giggles, some got "oohs" and "ahhs", and some got "ahhh" is a sad way. I will try to attach the video for all of you to see as well. The biggest hit (and miss) was the picture of her in her John Deere hat!!

After the video I gave a talk about what went on in our life the past year. I really tried to word it so the kids would understand and "grasp" it. It was difficult because I was talking to a diverse crowd!

At the end the kids asked so many great questions! It was so cute!! Here is a sample of some of the hard-pressing questions I was asked:
-What time does Charli go to bed?
-When does Charli wake up?
-What is Charli's favorite color?
-Has Charli ridden on a tractor?
-Does Charli's daddy do tractor pulls?
-Does Charli like CASE tractors too?
-Does Charli really eat dog food?
-How did she get cancer?
-Can she be around people who are sick?
-Will she be able to play sports?
-Does she still have cancer?
-When is her birthday?
-What does she dream about?
-Do you go to the Relay for Life?
-What was it like for you and your husband when Charli was sick?
-Was it hard to live with someone who has cancer?
-What color are her eyes?

Oh, there were so many cute, fun, and great questions asked. They really did a GREAT job and were so well behaved!! I will hopefully keep you posted on how they do with their fundraising efforts, as well as which teacher gets tapped to the wall!

A great B-I-G THANK YOU to anyone and everyone who was involved with the assembly today. I really enjoyed letting you in on Charli and her journey. And, thank you for making me feel welcome! Chad and I even got little hugs from a student on the way out, along with well-wishes for the future. They were all truly great kids!

Best of luck with your Pennies for Patients campaign, we hope you raise a TON of money!!