The students at Vincent J. Maloney Junior High School surpassed their goal of raising $35,000 during their third annual Cyclebetes Spin-A-Thon, this past Thursday.
The student-led event consisted of 275 students, 25 alumni and 47 teams, which cycled for 10 hours to raise $45,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The school’s goal was to raise $100,000 over three years of this event, a goal they easily met by reaching $108,000.
The students were responsible for signing teams up for the event, finding sponsors, setting up bikes, and organizing the day. Kelly Lajoie explains that the event wouldn’t be possible without the support of the staff and community, but the real reward comes from seeing the students at the school pull together a successful event for an important cause.
“This event shows skills in kids you wouldn’t normally see … such as leadership and organization,” explained Lajoie, who teaches the GO MAD (Go Make A Difference) leadership class at the junior high.
100 per cent of the funds raised at the event goes towards continued diabetes research, prevention of type 1 diabetes (T1D), and assisting in finding a cure.
