Fort Couch Reach Out exceeds $22,000 for charities
Dec. 22, 2023
The effort was spearheaded by the Fort Couch Student Council and its sponsor, Ms. Eliza Luxbacher, with support from the school’s administration, teachers and PTSO. All six teams of seventh and eighth graders raced to collect the most donations. In a close race, Team 1 was the highest earning team.
The monies raised will be divided among the following organizations:
- MS Society: Pittsburgh Chapter: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. The Pennsylvania Keystone Chapter works to improve the quality of life for people affected by MS in Central and Western PA and raise funds for critical MS research. MS Society, the Pittsburgh Chapter, offers events, groups and discussions, and services and support to bolster individuals with MS as well as their families and caregivers, too. (https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Chapters/PAX)
- Giant Eagle Gift Cards to Upper St Clair Township Police Department: Each year Reach Out donates $5,000 in Giant Eagle gift cards to the Upper St. Clair Police Department. Police officers then hand-deliver these gift cards to families in Upper St. Clair who need a little extra help during the holiday season.
- Bike MS: Bike MS is a series of fundraising events for Multiple Sclerosis research that involves thousands of people cycling hundreds and hundreds of miles around the country. Fort Couch has a team of teachers, parents, friends, and, occasionally, students from across the district who train all spring while also raising as much money as possible in support of MS research. Our Fort Couch Potato team rides from north of Pittsburgh to Lake Erie (Escape to the Lake Ride) over the span of two days and 150 miles. The money raised locally stays local and helps people with MS with practical needs like wheelchairs, medicine, living adaptations as well as research to find a cure. Every dollar raised puts us closer to finding that cure. (https://mssociety.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=cms.page&id=1232)
- Hearts for Haiti (Hope for Haiti): Each year Fort Couch students team up with the Yahve-Jire Children's Foundation to collect and deliver much needed supplies to children in a small village outside of Port-au Prince, Haiti. The YJCF runs a small orphanage, a school with 60 students in grades K-5, and serves many other children in the town of Croix-des-Bouquets. (https://hopeforhaiti.com/)
