Kim Chesek, teaches special education at Central Elementary School in Edgewater. She got involved in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in August of 2002 when her daughter was diagnosed.
"Blair was nine years old and we were blindsided," Chesek said. "There was no history of diabetes on either side of the family."
In 2008, she started having "sneaker" fundraisers. Students in all grades and all classes were asked to buy paper sneakers for $1 each. The sneakers hang on the wall, by grade and class, in the cafeteria. Chesek has motivators for each grade level, and she promises to do something outrageous if they make an overall goals. This year her motivators were:
- K - 2nd grade top fundraiser would get a root-beer float party
- 3rd - 5th grade top fundraiser would get a root-beer float party
- $2,500 - wear a costume during dismissal duty for one day
- $3,000 - wear a costume during dismissal duty for five day
- $3,001 - dye my hair blue for a day
The silly costumes she has include Winnie the Pooh, a dalmatian and couple inflatable costumes, including a cow, a cowboy and a tourist.
Well, they surpassed her goals and raised $3,600 for a four-year total of $11,200.
She was dyed her hair blue for the day at the beginning of the month.
"They were so excited to do this. One little boy used all of his allowance to buy 40 sneakers. His grandmother had just passed away from diabetes and he wanted to do it for her," Chesek said.
