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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                    

April 8, 2020

Da Vinci School Fifth Graders Raise $21,000 for Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity

GREEN BAY, WI - The sixth annual PI Day 5K run/walk announced that they raised a total of over $21,000 this year. Since 2015, a group of fifth grade students from Leonardo Da Vinci School for Gifted Learners teams up together to plan the annual PI Day 5K run/walk event that has now collectively raised over $100,000 since its inaugural race. This year, the planning team had 624 runners registered, sold their goal of 95 hats, and had a record 52 baskets for raffle prizes. All proceeds of the race go to Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity and are used to build a home for a family in Green Bay.

In celebration, since the students could not gather together in their school gymnasium, the school’s teachers and staff hosted a virtual party with the student planners to unveil the final numbers and grand total raised. During the virtual party, students, faculty and staff from Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity shared their thoughts.

In an address to the student planners, Green Bay Area Public School District’s Superintendent, Dr. Michelle Langenfeld shared, “What you’re doing today, in these unprecedented times, recognizing that we need to be together and celebrate is altruistic. This is a proud moment for the entire community served; it’s about giving back and it’s about being selfless.”

“As the teacher adviser of this PI Day planning group, it is truly amazing to watch the students work so hard each and every day,” Said Allison Hockers, Physical Education & Health Teacher and PI Day Race Coordinator at Leonardo Da Vinci School for Gifted Learners. “I also know this experience is something they will always remember. I am so proud of this group.”

The students shared their favorite part of the experience that included planning, collecting raffle baskets, seeing their work come together on race day, seeing everyone who participated, and being able to be a part of the community. In a unique gesture due to the public health pandemic, online schooling, and social distancing, the staff got creative in reaching out to the student planners. As a special thanks, the school staff hand-delivered gift bags to the front porches of the student planners that included a personalized water bottle and mementos to remember their experience and the effort in planning the successful race.

Cora Haltaufderheid, Executive Director of Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity said, “The need in our community is tremendous. The money that was raised from the race goes to a family that has students that will be attending Green Bay schools.” Haltaufderheid explained that the selection process for future homeowners includes the family’s demonstration for a need for decent housing, the ability to pay, and the willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity and that they look for families that have children who would benefit from attending Green Bay Public Schools. 

The school will collect further information once the public health pandemic subsides so they can calculate actual totals beyond the $21,000. In 2018, the fifth-grade student planners raised $18,230, and an additional $21,693 in 2019 with a collective total of over $104,000 in the last six years. Student planners and school staff who helped plan the race are invited to the Habitat for Humanity home dedication so that the students and families can see first-hand the impact that their teamwork and effort has within the community.

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Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity is part of a global, nonprofit housing organization operated on Christian principles that seeks to put God’s love into action by building homes, communities, and hope. Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing in Brown County through constructing, rehabilitating, and preserving homes. Since founding in 1987, they have built 118 homes in partnership with hardworking families in the community. Please visit www.greenbayhabitat.org for more information.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity
Andrea Jorgensen
Marketing & Communications Manager
[email protected]
Direct: 920-593-5781
Mobile: 920-639-4857
 
Leonardo Da Vinci School for Gifted Learners
Allison Hockers
Physical Education/Health Teacher, PI Day 5K Race Organizer
[email protected]