Pennies for Patients fundraiser

Every year, Desert View Academy raises money to support those affected with Leukemia.

This year, principal Deb Weigel challenged students to raise $12,000 and they surpassed that goal raising $17,085.

With more than 12,000 people dying from Leukemia or Lymphoma cancer in the state of Arizona this year alone, principal Weigel says it is a race against time to find a better cure.

“This year we raised money during the month of February, and our goal was $12,000 and we reached $17,000 just within one month so we are beyond the moon excited. In the past several years DVA has given over $100,000 to the leukemia lymphoma society, so we know were making a difference” says principal Deb Weigel.

In order to fulfill the one-month deadline, Weigel says these students had to be creative in raising this amount of money.

“Some of our students would say I’m gonna give up a happy meal so I can give my money to help kids that are in the hospital, so kids were taking it to heart, they weren’t just asking their parents for money,” says Weigel.

Every year she offers her students to do something extreme to help motivate them to raise the money. This year she promised students they could cover her in the silly string if they reached this year’s goal.

Desert View Academy has also raised money for other non-profits in the Yuma community, including Meals on Wheels and Amberly’s Place, but this is their biggest fundraiser event every year.