BARTONVILLE Ill. (WMBD) –Limestone Community High School kicked off its fundraiser to raise money for Easterseals of Central Illinois.
Easterseals is a local nonprofit which dedicates its services to helping kids with developmental delays, disabilities, and other special needs.
For more than four decades the Limestone community has come together to raise more than $1 million dollars.
Limestone’s 2022 Easterseals campaign broke its school record by raising over $75,000 dollars in just two weeks. This year they’re adding a third week to the fundraiser and seem confident they’ll be able to break last year’s record.
“Every year we always say the goal is not to raise the most money, but to raise the most inclusion and acceptance, but the goal is always to break the record and to make more money than we did last year,” said senior Morgan Stephens.
Stephens said more schools need to talk about inclusion and how differences between students can create bonds.
“We see the inclusion and acceptance throughout the entire year with our unified program in sports and in P.E., and especially during this time, you can just tell that everyone’s a lot more excited talking about inclusion and talking about acceptance and just getting to know the unified kids a lot more,” said Stephens.
Limestone’s unified P.E. program has students with disabilities participating on the same physical education teams as students who don’t have disabilities.
Limestone P.E. teacher Stacy Seals wants to teach her students compassion along with P.E.
“You see everybody working together for a common goal. You see that maybe typical self-centered teenager stepping outside themselves and doing something for others, I’m trying to teach them to go out in the world and make a difference,” said Stephens.
Over the next three weeks, the school will hold fundraisers open to the public like dodgeball games, food fairs, student vs teacher basketball games, and auctions.
Limestones closing assembly will mark the end of fundraising which is scheduled for Feb 27.
