Making her grade
École Évangéline student organizes fundraising run for school project
Talk about earning an A+. Grade 12 student Shelaine Gallant, 17, has spent the past semester hustling hard to organize a run/walk in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.
It’s a project for her École Évangéline global issues class. It’s something she and those helping her have put a considerable amount of effort into. Gallant was presented with a choice as part of her class. She could either do a semester-long project, subject to teacher approval, or take an exam. She chose to work on the race, which had been proposed to her student council group last year, but not in time to organize.
She was excited about the idea because it incorporates two things she feels strongly about – healthy living and charity, said Gallant.
It’s been a lot of work to organize an event like this from scratch, she said, but it’s also been a rewarding experience.
“People are like, ‘I couldn’t imagine putting all that work in just for a grade.’ But we’re not doing it just for the grade or for the project.
“Cancer affects everyone,” said Gallant.
“I’ve learned quite a few valuable life skills … so it was really beneficial,” she added. “Hard work pays off, has been a big factor in this.”
The idea for the run actually originated with teacher Dominique Morency, who is a runner herself.
For many years there have been few, if any, options in terms of organized runs in the Evangeline area, said Morency, so it seemed like a good fit. Between Morency and Gallant, the run, which they’re calling La Course d’Honnuer / The Honour Run, has enough community support to cover almost all of its costs so they expect to donate all of their profit to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Participants can either do a 5 km walk or a 5 km run for $10, a 10 km run for $20, or a 1 km kids run which is $2 for preschool, or $5 from kindergarten to Grade 6. The run will take place on June 3 and will leave from École Évangéline. The event is taking place on the same day as the Relay for Life by intention so participants can run in the morning and then go to the relay in the evening.
Registration opens on site at 8 a.m. and the run starts at 9 a.m. For more information and to get a copy of the waiver form needed to participate, go online to www.lacoursedhonneur.yolasite.com.
Anyone who would like to help out the organizers or make a donation can contact Gallant at shelainedeg@outlook.com.