The Raccoon Grade School Booster’s tripled the amount of money raised this year in its Shrine Week Activities in advance of Friday night’s Shrine football game between Salem and Centralia.
The announcement of the grand total came from Superintendent Misty Johannes at a school assembly were separated between those who will go to Salem or Centralia High School.
“Get a drum roll….$23,025.33. Great job Raccon Grade School and the communities of Centralia and Salem. Great job!”
Centralia Mayor Bryan Kuder out fundraised Salem Mayor Nic Farley so for the fourth year in a row Mayor Farley got a pie in the face from Mayor Kuder.
Kuder raised $13,875.93.
“We had a fund raiser dinner. A and A Armory supported us with a raffle and just altogether the amount of people who approached me knowing that we were doing this for the Shriners…here’s $100, here’s $150. We just want this to go to the Shriners. It tugs at your heart strings, the stories people would start talking to you and telling you about the Shriners and they just wanted to pass it on.”
Farley raised $7,587.60, including a last minute $2,500 check presented at the assembly by the Modern Woodmen. Farley is ready to challenge Kuder again next year.
“As long as they are doing it, they can count me in as a partner in this. At the end of the day, if it means taking a pie to the face to get the Shriners Hospital $23,000, I’ll do it every year.”
Kuder is also ready to take up the challenge again and says he’ll have to find ways to raise more money.
Raccoon Grade School Superintendent Johannes says the students also raised considerable funds in school activities.
“For the past two weeks, we had a sucker tree where kids would pay $1 for two suckers . Sometimes kids would come in and by 40 to 80 suckers a day. Then we had a dunking booth and had three staff members do that. We had some shirt sales and some penny wars. And our total collected at Raccoon Grade School was $2,076.22.”
Students who will be going to Salem COmmunity High School won the Raccoon Grade School competition, with Johannes Constructing matching $1,500 of the total.
Both Centralia and Salem Community High Schools also helped raise money. Centralia High School and staff raised $911 and Salem Community High School through a theatre group raised by Drew Johnson raised $280. Centralia received a traveling banner to place on the fence of the football field.
Shriner Terry Heern also talked to the students about the Shriners Hospitals and was blown out of the water when the total was announced.
“This right now is the largest fund raiser we have ever had and this money goes 100% to Shriner’s Hospital.
Both Kuder and Farley, as well as Heern, took turns leading the Salem and Centralia sides with cheers and activities.
The $23,025 check was presented at Friday night’s Salem-Centralia Shrine Football Game.
Centralia Mayor Bryan Kuder with Shriners trophy. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
Centralia Mayor Bryan Kuder carefully adds red for the Orphans to the pie he will soon deliver to Salem Mayor Nic Farley after winning the fundraising challenge for the Shriners Hospitals. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
Salem Mayor Nic Farley, after receiving the pie in the face. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
Raccoon Grade School has ties to both Salem and Centralia and stays neutral in the annual Shriner Fundraiser with a shirt featuring both teams. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
Centralia Mayor Bryan Kuder with the traveling banner Centralia High School gets to display for the next year after Centralia High School staff and faculty out fundraised those attending Salem Community High School. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
