Teachers at Fall City’s Chief Kanim Middle School remember Alex Barr as a vivacious, driven boy who loved bugs. His 6th-grade yearbook picture gives no hint of the suffering he endured.
“Having to know he was going through the pain he had to go through was very difficult,” said teacher Theresa Frank.
Alex was diagnosed with leukemia when he was just 5 years old. By 6th grade, he was quite literally a poster child for fundraising efforts. His picture appeared on a poster for the“Pennies for Patients" campaign in 2003. That same year he launched the campaign at his school.
That first year they collected a few hundred dollars.
Now, 13 years later, the efforts of a sick little boy are paying off in a big way.
Each class at Chief Kanim competes to see which can raise the most money for the penny campaign.
Zoe Perkins raised $112 going door-to-door in her neighborhood.
“It made me feel good because I knew I was helping those kids with the leukemia,” she said.
Gunnar Wooldridge's class goal was $300. They topped out at more than $1,300.
“It kinda made me think if we all donated some money we could really save some people,” said Gunnar.
All those pennies have now added up to thousands of dollars - many thousands.
In the annual March drive this year, the kids at Chief Kanim raised $7,586.79, an all-time record. In the 13 years since Alex Barr’s face first appeared on that poster, students have raised $50,000 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.
Alex has since passed on, from sick 6th grader to healthy adult.
He graduated from Central Washington University two years ago and has been in remission for more than a decade. He is living proof that, just like pennies, small acts of kindness can add up to great riches
“It’s amazing what they’ve done since I left,” he said.
Alex visited his old school Thursday as students celebrated their monetary milestone.
“It makes me feel great because I didn't know they'd keep it going after I left,” he said. “It's an inspiration to me.”
It’s inspiration Alex will use as he moves toward his next goal: finding a job with the Washington Department of Ecology in environmental protection.
The kids at Chief Kanim have their own goal: setting a new fundraising record next year.
