DUNMORE, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Schools throughout northeastern and central Pennsylvania hold fundraisers all the time. But there was one held Wednesday at a local school that’s benefiting students more than 1,500 miles away.
Holding two symbolic crosses, students at Holy Cross High School set foot on a fundraising walk. One cross represented their Catholic school, the other stood for a parochial school in Texas. Holy Cross High School Senior Patrick Galvin of Scranton said, “We feel really bad for the kids and the families because it’s just devastating.” Classmate Mollie Burda of Scranton said, “There’s so much devastation. It’s so hard to rebuild after that. I can’t imagine.”
They’re talking about True Cross Elementary School in Dickinson, Texas which was flooded in August by Hurricane Harvey. This semester, Holy Cross students learned of the Texas school’s plight and found out they shared a common bond. “True Cross and Holy Cross have very similar names. We’re both the Crusaders,” said Ms. Burda.
While Holy Cross students can’t “walk a mile in their counterparts’ shoes”, they could hold a one mile fundraising walk. They collected community pledges to hoof it from the school on Drinker Street to Saint Anthony Field off Hill Street and back. Holy Cross High School Director Of Religious Formation Kathy Yaklic helped organize the event and said, “My goal was 50 students to raise $500. We have 118 students that raise $2,100. And that just goes to show on their own initiative went out and asked people to sponsor them.”
They also prayed for their adopted school realizing flood recovery isn’t easy. The help for True Cross Elementary doesn’t end with this walk. Holy Cross High School plans to hold a tee shirt sale and even a benefit school dance. The fundraising tee shirt design created by students features a cross between Pennsylvania and Texas, with hearts in each of those states connected. Holy Cross students and faculty hope it’s another way of showing their long distance concern. “Even though we’re far away, our hearts are in the right place,” said Ms. Yaklic.
The fundraising tee shirt sale will begin after Thanksgiving and continue until Christmas break. Shirts will be available to students and the community.
