CLARION CO., Pa. — The Clarion County Career Center completed their Cancer Awareness month and annual “Coins for a Cure” campaign in October and reached a new goal.

This year marks the Career Center’s tenth year of collecting donations for “Coins for a Cure.”

All funds donated to the campaign are given to the Clarion Hospital Cancer Center’s “Clarion Sunshine Project” to help patients who are going through cancer treatments.

The goal this year was to surpass $40,000.00 for the ten-year anniversary. The total collected was an amazing $4,853.24 reaching a ten-year total of $41,802.86 – with all the funds being donated to the cancer center.

Due to continued COVID-19 restrictions, the school reverted back to the original campaign format of placing coin containers in all the classrooms to allow students to contribute their loose change to the cause. Students were encouraged to donate “because it is the right thing to do” to help others in their community.

Student assemblies were not able to be conducted this year. Linda Skelley, Confidential Secretary and Community Outreach team member, delivered the donation to Tracy Myers, office manager at the Clarion Hospital Cancer Center.

Tracy Myers, along with a patient she invited, recorded a video message for the students, and Linda Schirmer, who is a teacher at Clarion-Limestone School District and a breast cancer survivor, graciously agreed to speak to the students on the video.

They shared with the students how important these funds are to assist patients with some of their financial burdens. It allows the patients to concentrate on their treatments and getting better, instead of worrying about how they will cover the extra costs of being off work, gas money, and related expenses.

The teamwork displayed during this “Coins for a Cure” campaign is obvious by the great donation amount the students and staff were able to achieve during cancer awareness month.