By Staff
NILES - Some local first grade students have added nearly $2,000 to the fight against pediatric cancer and diseases.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital announced Tuesday the successful completion of Math-A-Thon at Ellis Elementary School.
Math-A-Thon, now in its 28th year, is an educationally-based fund-raising program in which students obtain sponsors for the number of math problems completed in special workbooks provided for students in grades kindergarten through ninth.
The first grade students at Ellis Elementary raised $1,900 this year.
The program is sponsored nationally by Six Flags Theme Parks, who provide free passes to their parks for every student raising $35 or more.
The students who participated in the program learned to do more than just math problems, they also learned the importance of helping children who are less fortunate than themselves. Through the Math-A-Thon, students are able to help provide a future for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Children with more than 200 forms of cancer and other catastrophic diseases find hope at St. Jude. Since its founding in 1963 by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, the survival rates for most forms of pediatric cancer have risen dramatically.
Today more than 70 percent of all children with cancer will survive their bout with the disease. St. Jude fully credits these successes in treatment to the generous support of people around the world, including the students at Ellis Elementary School.
First graders at Ellis have been participating in Math-A-Thon since 1988 and have raised more than $23,000.