Clarke Elementary Students Make Donation

Students at Clarke Elementary School who participate in the Girls on the Run and STRIDE programs after school are shown with their coaches as they present donations to Traci Cortez, standing at center holding a check for almost $161, to support efforts at the Ronald McDonald House for Durham and Wake counties.

After three weeks of fundraising, the students presented the check to Cortez on May 10, along with four bags filled with thousands of aluminum can pop tops that Ronald McDonald House officials can turn in for additional funding.

Cortez said the Clarke donations will be used to provide services to sick children and their family members during their stays at the Ronald McDonald House as the children receive treatment at nearby hospitals for their illnesses.

The Girls on the Run and STRIDE programs are coordinated through a partnership at several local elementary schools and the Henderson Family YMCA. Julia Langston of the Henderson Family YMCA and coordinator of the programs, also was on hand for the donation presentation. Girls on the Run, for female students in grades 3-5, and STRIDE, for male students in grades 3-5, provide after school character education and physical education activities for the participants. Coaches, who are members of the schools’ staffs, work with the students two days each week.