Throughout the holiday season, students at Big Creek were asked to donate a minimum of one dollar for the institute. For every dollar given, students received a card to decorate for a cancer patient's meal tray. Each student also received an ornament to take home and keep. More than $1,300 was raised. Cards were distributed to patients at Northside's campuses in Atlanta, Alpharetta and Cumming.
More cases of cancer are diagnosed and treated at Northside Hospital than anywhere else in Georgia. The annual Celebration of Lights campaign raises money to assist the hospital's cancer patients and families in need with medical care, medicine, transportation and lodging. Over the past 25 years, Celebration of Lights has raised nearly $600,000 for Northside's Cancer Institute. This is the fourth year that Big Creek Elementary has participated in Celebration of Lights.
"Big Creek is thrilled to give back to one of their Partners In Education, Northside Hospital, and help make some cancer patients' holiday season brighter," said Sherri Black, principal, Big Creek Elementary School.
Big Creek's fifth-grade team and students coordinated the fundraising project as part of an ongoing effort to give back to the community.
"A special thank you goes out to teacher Amy Petrella, who coordinated and communicated with Northside to make this effort the wonderful success that it has been over the past few years," said Black. "This effort holds a special place in Ms. Petrella's heart and that passion is benefiting those patients who will have their days brightened by a Big Creek student."
Northside Hospital has been a Partner In Education (PIE) with Big Creek Elementary since 2009. In 2012, the hospital gave a grant toward the school's new Science Lab and also has sponsored supplies for the school's clinic. In all, Northside's PIE program sponsors more than 100 schools across Forsyth, Cherokee, Cobb, Dawson, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties.
Big Creek Elementary students (l-r) Jackie Wagner, Rachel Hicks and Caleb Hensley show some of the cards that they made for Northside Hospital patients, alongside teacher Amy Petrella (far left) and Kelli Buchwald, manager of community relations, Nor
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