Holy Family School raises nearly $10,000 for St. Jude Hospital

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Students at Holy Family School in Hannibal raised $9,733.95 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital in one week by participating in the St. Jude Math-A-Thon.

Holy Family has participated in the Math-A-Thon since 1998 and has raised more than $100,000 for the research hospital. This year’s effort was a school record.

Third grade student Hannah Best was the top earner for the Math-A-Thon, raising $855 the old fashioned way by going door to door and asking family, neighbors and friends to give to St. Jude.

In a press release, second grade teacher Becky Thomas said, “The St. Jude Math-A-Thon is a teaching tool — both in arithmetic and, more importantly, in empathy. The students see stories of the children who are patients. These kids are in a life-or-death battle with cancer and other diseases. By gathering donations, our students learn how to show compassion.”

Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food. They can focus on helping their child live, regardless of the duration or the cost of care. Since the majority of funding for St. Jude comes from individual contributions, events like the Math-A-Thon are life savers for sick children.