Wakarusa students save coins to donate to juvenile diabetes research

WAKARUSA — To some, the jingling of loose coins might be something of a nuisance. But in recent days, that has been a delightfully musical sound to elementary school children in the Wa-Nee district.

Students of both Wakarusa Elementary and Woodview Elementary schools spent three days last week engaged in a “change war.” The students were challenged to collect as many coins as possible and take them to school.

The funds raised will, in turn, be used to help educate and find treatments for Juvenile Type 1 diabetes, a condition that affects 11 children in the Wa-Nee district. This particular form of diabetes diminishes the pancreas’s ability to produce insulin. This can create significant fluctuations in the blood sugar levels, causing such symptoms as dehydration, weight loss, and damage to major organs. At present, there is no cure.

As of Tuesday morning, the final tally for the amount of money raised for both schools combined was less than $3,000. Brandy Hahn’s kindergarten students at Woodview Elementary contributed the most coins for their school, with a total of $167.70. The children were treated to Rise ‘N Roll pastries as a reward. The winning classroom from Wakarusa Elementary was Stephanie Prickel’s first-graders, where students donated $270.27.

The idea for the project came about through the efforts of Wakarusa Elementary School nurse Dawn Maugel and Woodview Elementary media clerk Meagen Duerksen. Duerksen’s own child is among those afflicted with diabetes, and she admitted that the process of counting the change and watching the total skyrocket the way it did, “kind of choked me up a few times.” Both of the principals expressed their enthusiasm to lend their support to the cause.

“Many of our students don’t know all of the specifics of this condition, but they know that it will help their fellow students and that is often enough for our kids,” said Wakarusa Elementary Principal John Payne. “They are extremely empathetic toward others and are always willing to take part in a friendly competition that will help someone else. The more our students can learn about their fellow classmates and the struggles that some of them may encounter, the more likely they will be more kind and compassionate to those who are ‘different.’”

Woodview Elementary Principal Alan Thompson observed, “We understand Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes is a serious disease that affects many children. A parent whose child is affected wanted to raise awareness in our community and asked it we would be part of that effort. We thought it was a fun way to educate our students about their classmates who are affected and a simple way to show our support.”