School raises $4,000 for Olympian
Sep 11, 2008 - 09:33 AM
By Brad Kelly
WHITBY -- Students at Williamsburg Public School in Whitby demonstrated the same kind of hard work, dedication and determination in their fundraising efforts as Erin McLean did in becoming an Olympian.
It's little wonder the two were a perfect fit for each other.
Students at the school gathered in the gymnasium to honour one of their own in McLean, who recently returned home to Whitby from the Olympic Games in Beijing after helping lead the Canadian women's softball team to a fourth place finish. Despite finishing out of the medals, she received gold medal treatment from the school, who adopted her through a Canadian Olympic Committee initiative.
The end result was a donation in the amount of $4,000 that the students raised through a couple of fundraisers. But the bigger impact was the impression the students left on McLean, and vice versa.
"The kids absolutely loved it," said Russ Winters, whose Grade 5 class started the relationship with McLean back in September that included a couple of appearances by the Whitby resident at the school, and in turn, some fundraising to help offset the costs with being a top level international athlete.
"I wanted the kids to realize it doesn't matter where you are from or who you are, as long as they have the drive and desire, that they can do what they want. What better way for them to experience this than meeting a hometown athlete performing on the world stage," he said.
Part of the relationship included McLean, 23, coming to the school a couple of times prior to leaving for the Olympics to speak to the kids, with a theme based around wishes, dreams and goals. While her words served as inspiration to the impressionable kids, the message went even further.
"For the kids to see and touch some of the trophies and medals and rewards, and to hear the stories from Erin, you can't teach that," said Winters.
With a gym full of students wearing red and white, some carrying Canadian flags in support of the Olympic team, McLean was flattered by all of the attention.
"This is unbelievable," she said. "This school has done so much to support me and the team, and just to have them come out and want to celebrate the Olympics even after the fact is pretty incredible."
McLean gave the students an up close and personal look at the Olympics, sharing her experience through a slide show that illustrated the athlete village, opening ceremonies and other attractions in China.
She thanked the kids for their support, and encouraged them to have a dream and act on it.
"I hope you find something to be so passionate about and I encourage you to put everything into achieving your goal," she said.
Originally, the class set a fundraising goal of $1,000, but a yard sale and silent auction produced four times that amount.
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