After a successful fundraiser dance at Jackson Technology Center last spring, the students and teacher/sponsor Miguel Carzola decided to repeat the effort this year. Last year’s dance benefited a camp for kids with cancer and the National Breast Cancer Foundation in honor of the school’s counselor Jami Maxey who battled cancer, two students who had the disease and a student’s mother who had lost her life to cancer.
The kids learned soon after last year’s dance that Carzola has multiple sclerosis and got back to work.
“I was taken by surprise,” Carzola said. “The students were so eager to take this on for the following year which touched me deeply.”
They even worked during the summer to form a committee to raise money for MS and told Carzola about it on the first day of school.
“I couldn’t believe they remembered,” he said. “Their committee and I have raised $2,700.”
Carzola added that the efforts have been completely student driven.
“We have a fabulous group of students who just wanted to do something special,” he said. “It all started with last year’s cancer fundraiser and snowballed from there.”
Maxey, one of the individuals battling cancer last year, also gives all the credit to the students.
“They were 100 percent the driving force behind this dance,” she said.
Students Izzy Holloway and Devi Pennington spearheaded the dance and more than 300 students attended. The kids are now working on a fundraiser for a student who is currently undergoing chemotherapy.
Carzola, even though he is battling MS, believes that complaining is a waste of time and his students have no doubt picked up on his positive attitude.
They do not shy away from hard work and challenges. Their compassion and eagerness to serve is impressive. Kids that have a heart for helping others grow into adults who want to help others, so the future is in good hands.