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No delay in death of Bali bombers
JAKARTA - Indonesia's Supreme Court said on Monday that a new appeal filed by lawyers for relatives of the Bali bombers against their imminent execution would not delay the sentence being carried out.
Imam Samudra, 38, Mukhlas, 48, and Amrozi, 46, members of the militant Islamist group Jemaah Islamiah, were sentenced to death for their role in attacks on two nightclubs in Kuta in 2002 that killed 202 people, including Indonesians and foreign tourists.
Security has been increased across Indonesia in the past few days ahead of the expected executions. On Monday, police laid down barbed wire and stationed armed officers at the entrance to the port that serves the prison island housing the three men.
The Attorney General's office said on Saturday that the firing squad execution of the men, who have been on death row since 2003, was "very close." Authorities have previously said that all legal avenues have been exhausted.
"We lodged the judicial review to Denpasar court to question (previous) decisions," said Fahmi Bachmid, a lawyer for the families, adding separately that the appeal should be addressed by the courts before the executions could go ahead. But Djoko Sarwoko, a Supreme Court judge, denied that the move would have an impact on the timing of the execution.
"A judicial review will not delay the implementation of the verdict, even for the death penalty," said Sarwoko, who is a spokesman for the court.
Indonesia's Supreme Court has previously thrown out requests for a judicial review, while the Constitutional Court also overruled a petition from the bombers arguing the country's method of execution by firing squad was inhumane.
Denpasar court official Nengah Sanjaya also said by telephone that the three-page appeal had been lodged and would be sent to a court in Cilacap, central Java, close to the maximum security prison on Nusakambangan island housing the three men.
The family and lawyers had tried to visit the men on Monday but were unable to get access after the port was sealed, although a lawyer said they were able to send in food and a letter.
Three small bombs exploded in Indonesia's Moluccas islands early on Monday morning but there were no casualties, local police said.
Rabu, 05 November 2008
Bali bombers' execution raises questions over death penalty
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Bali bombers' execution raises questions over death penalty
Reporter: Brigid Glanville
MARK BANNERMAN: As the three Bali bombers wait for their execution, the debate over the death penalty is once again an issue.
For victims of the bombing and their families it's a day they've been waiting for, a chance to see justice to convicted killers.
But human rights advocates claim the Bali bombers should not be killed and suggest Australians should oppose the death penalty in all situations.
Brigid Glanville reports.
BRIGID GLANVILLE: Gold Coast real estate agent Glenn Cosman was at the door of the Sari Club in Bali in 2002 when a bomb went off. His two friends who were also there survived, but both of them lost limbs. Glenn Cosman says he believes the Bali bombers deserve the death penalty.
GLENN COSMAN: I'm happy for it to happen, absolutely. They certainly deserve what they're getting and I think it's justice for the crime.
You know I heard recently a Member of Parliament I think in Western Australia stood up and she said she didn't, you know, want them to have the death penalty. I think it's people just trying to put their names out there in the public really. It's none of their business and they should get out of it.
Glenn Cosman says he can understand people not believing in the death penalty, but not when it comes to mass murderers.
GLENN COSMAN: I can certainly see why when the death penalty here and the last few people that were put to death there was some ambiguity in their sentencing and their guilt. But there is absolutely no ambiguity in the guilt of the three Bali bombers. They're certainly guilty. They've admitted to it and they're proud of it, which is a very sad thing.
I certainly went over to Indonesia and saw the trials and saw the processes over there and you know, one of them that was on trial the day I was there was actually remorseful and very sorry for his actions. And I certainly you know don't mind him not getting the death penalty.
But these guys aren't remorseful and certainly don't regret their actions. And I think they'd do it again if they got out tomorrow so really, they really should be put to death because they're not going to be reformed.
BRIGID GLANVILLE: Chris Sidoti from the Human Rights Council of Australia disagrees.
CHRIS SIDOTI: Well human rights are universal values and human dignity applies to all human beings. At a most practical element, practical level, there just seems to be no point in making martyrs out of murderers, and so that's the first thing that needs to be said.
But we need to move beyond that kind of pragmatic approach that says we are not going to make martyrs out of these mass murderers, to saying that there are values about human life and human dignity that we as a nation have traditionally upheld and we should uphold now.
Indonesian lives are no less valuable than Australian lives and if we are interested in protecting Australian lives we must be consistent. We must say that all human life is important.
BRIGID GLANVILLE: But international law expert from the Australian National University in Canberra professor Don Rothwell, says when it comes to the Bali bombers people often have double standards.
He says the former Howard government took the stance that if an Australian such as one of the Bali nine were facing the death penalty it would oppose such a move, but it didn't have a problem with the Bali bombers being executed.
Professor Rothwell wants the Rudd Government to make it clear it doesn't support the death penalty for anyone.
DON ROTHWELL: Well the first thing is that they have to be very careful in terms of the way that they choose their language. Secondly they need to be cautious about not in any way engaging in megaphone diplomacy with Indonesia. I think that's the last way in which progress is made with Indonesia on matters such as this.
The Rudd Government has indicated that there have been already bilateral ministerial discussions in which Rudd Government ministers have been making their positions known on the death penalty and no doubt that dialogue will continue as long as Australians are on death row in Indonesia.
But I think that the Government also needs to be introducing a strong human rights dimension into that debate and the fact that Indonesia is a party to the international covenant on civil and political rights certainly allows for that dialogue to be developed.
BRIGID GLANVILLE: Professor Rothwell also says if the Government is lobbying Indonesia to get rid of the death penalty it should also be lobbying the United States and China on the same issue.
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Bali bombers' execution raises questions over death penalty
Reporter: Brigid Glanville
MARK BANNERMAN: As the three Bali bombers wait for their execution, the debate over the death penalty is once again an issue.
For victims of the bombing and their families it's a day they've been waiting for, a chance to see justice to convicted killers.
But human rights advocates claim the Bali bombers should not be killed and suggest Australians should oppose the death penalty in all situations.
Brigid Glanville reports.
BRIGID GLANVILLE: Gold Coast real estate agent Glenn Cosman was at the door of the Sari Club in Bali in 2002 when a bomb went off. His two friends who were also there survived, but both of them lost limbs. Glenn Cosman says he believes the Bali bombers deserve the death penalty.
GLENN COSMAN: I'm happy for it to happen, absolutely. They certainly deserve what they're getting and I think it's justice for the crime.
You know I heard recently a Member of Parliament I think in Western Australia stood up and she said she didn't, you know, want them to have the death penalty. I think it's people just trying to put their names out there in the public really. It's none of their business and they should get out of it.
Glenn Cosman says he can understand people not believing in the death penalty, but not when it comes to mass murderers.
GLENN COSMAN: I can certainly see why when the death penalty here and the last few people that were put to death there was some ambiguity in their sentencing and their guilt. But there is absolutely no ambiguity in the guilt of the three Bali bombers. They're certainly guilty. They've admitted to it and they're proud of it, which is a very sad thing.
I certainly went over to Indonesia and saw the trials and saw the processes over there and you know, one of them that was on trial the day I was there was actually remorseful and very sorry for his actions. And I certainly you know don't mind him not getting the death penalty.
But these guys aren't remorseful and certainly don't regret their actions. And I think they'd do it again if they got out tomorrow so really, they really should be put to death because they're not going to be reformed.
BRIGID GLANVILLE: Chris Sidoti from the Human Rights Council of Australia disagrees.
CHRIS SIDOTI: Well human rights are universal values and human dignity applies to all human beings. At a most practical element, practical level, there just seems to be no point in making martyrs out of murderers, and so that's the first thing that needs to be said.
But we need to move beyond that kind of pragmatic approach that says we are not going to make martyrs out of these mass murderers, to saying that there are values about human life and human dignity that we as a nation have traditionally upheld and we should uphold now.
Indonesian lives are no less valuable than Australian lives and if we are interested in protecting Australian lives we must be consistent. We must say that all human life is important.
BRIGID GLANVILLE: But international law expert from the Australian National University in Canberra professor Don Rothwell, says when it comes to the Bali bombers people often have double standards.
He says the former Howard government took the stance that if an Australian such as one of the Bali nine were facing the death penalty it would oppose such a move, but it didn't have a problem with the Bali bombers being executed.
Professor Rothwell wants the Rudd Government to make it clear it doesn't support the death penalty for anyone.
DON ROTHWELL: Well the first thing is that they have to be very careful in terms of the way that they choose their language. Secondly they need to be cautious about not in any way engaging in megaphone diplomacy with Indonesia. I think that's the last way in which progress is made with Indonesia on matters such as this.
The Rudd Government has indicated that there have been already bilateral ministerial discussions in which Rudd Government ministers have been making their positions known on the death penalty and no doubt that dialogue will continue as long as Australians are on death row in Indonesia.
But I think that the Government also needs to be introducing a strong human rights dimension into that debate and the fact that Indonesia is a party to the international covenant on civil and political rights certainly allows for that dialogue to be developed.
BRIGID GLANVILLE: Professor Rothwell also says if the Government is lobbying Indonesia to get rid of the death penalty it should also be lobbying the United States and China on the same issue.
US, Australian embassies in Indonesia get bomb threat
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US, Australian embassies in Indonesia get bomb threat
JAKARTA: Indonesian police were investigating on Tuesday a threat to blow up the US
and Australian embassies in Jakarta if the Bali bombers
are executed, police said.
Security has been increased across Indonesia in the last few days ahead of the expected executions of three Islamic militants sentenced to death for their role in attacks on two nightclubs in Bali in 2002 that killed 202 people.
"A bomb threat against the US and Australian embassies was sent via a mobile phone text message," National Police spokesman Abubakar Nataprawira said, adding an investigation was underway.
The state Antara news agency quoted Central Jakarta police spokesman Adjunct Senior Commissioner Heri Wibowo as saying the text message threatened to blow up the two embassies if the three militants were executed.
Tristram Perry, a spokesman for the US embassy in Jakarta, said that the embassy remained open. "We take all these threats seriously and we are working closely with the local Indonesian authorities and police to deal with it," Perry said
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US, Australian embassies in Indonesia get bomb threat
JAKARTA: Indonesian police were investigating on Tuesday a threat to blow up the US
and Australian embassies in Jakarta if the Bali bombers
are executed, police said.
Security has been increased across Indonesia in the last few days ahead of the expected executions of three Islamic militants sentenced to death for their role in attacks on two nightclubs in Bali in 2002 that killed 202 people.
"A bomb threat against the US and Australian embassies was sent via a mobile phone text message," National Police spokesman Abubakar Nataprawira said, adding an investigation was underway.
The state Antara news agency quoted Central Jakarta police spokesman Adjunct Senior Commissioner Heri Wibowo as saying the text message threatened to blow up the two embassies if the three militants were executed.
Tristram Perry, a spokesman for the US embassy in Jakarta, said that the embassy remained open. "We take all these threats seriously and we are working closely with the local Indonesian authorities and police to deal with it," Perry said
Obama will win the battleground state of Ohio
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TV networks project key win for Obama | 9:24 p.m.
NBC, Fox, ABC, CNN, and CBS project Obama will win the battleground state of Ohio and its 20 electoral votes. Heading into the election, Obama led McCain by 7 points. Ohio was considered a must-win state for McCain. However, the Obama campaign flooded the state with volunteers in March, specifically rural and suburban regions. Obama had 82 offices in Ohio, more than double the number McCain had. Ohio has voted for the winning presidential candidate in every election since 1964. According to NBC, Obama has a considerable lead in electoral votes: 195 to McCain's 85.
McCain has won North Dakota and its 3 electoral votes (AP). CBS and NBC also project McCain will win Louisiana and its 9 electoral votes.
NBC and Fox are also projecting Obama will win New Mexico's 5 electoral votes. Historically, the state has had close races: In 2004, George Bush beat John Kerry by fewer than 6,000 votes. In 2000, Al Gore squeaked by Bush with less than 400 votes. Gov. Bill Richardson was a rumored vice-presidential candidate earlier this year and is expected to be a front-runner for a Cabinet position should Obama win the election.
Obama wins Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Minnesota (AP). The big wins here are Michigan with 17 electoral votes, New York with 31, and Wisconsin with 10. Obama held a huge 16-point lead in Michigan's polls heading into Election Day. The state's hard-hit economy has been the focus of both candidates during the campaign. The last time Michigan voted Republican was in 1988.
McCain wins Arkansas, Wyoming, and Alabama adding 18 more electoral votes to his count (AP). CNN, NBC, and Fox also project McCain will win North's Dakota's 3 electoral votes.
Obama wins the battleground state of Pennsylvania and its 21 electoral votes (AP). Heading into Election Day, he held a comfortable 10-point lead in the polls over McCain. Obama's campaign invested heavily in Sen. Biden's home state, with more than 60 offices throughout the state. The last time Pennsylvania went red was in 1988.
Obama has also won New Hampshire and its 4 electoral votes (AP). New Hampshire gave Obama the very first votes of Election Day, when he won the tiny town of Dixville Notch, the first Democrat to do so since 1968. The 75 or so residents of Dixville Notch began voting at midnight; the final tally: 15 votes for Obama, 6 for McCain. Since 1960, Dixville Notch has opened its polls just after midnight on Election Day.
ABC, CBS, and Fox project McCain will win Arkansas' 6 electoral votes. ABC and NBC also project McCain will win Alabama and its 9 electoral votes.
NBC and Fox project McCain will win the big-prize state of Georgia and its 15 electoral votes. Going into the election, McCain led Obama by a 5 percent margin, with 8 percent of voters undecided. Georgia has voted Republican in the last two presidential elections. Pres. Bush took the state twice, with huge wins over Al Gore and John Kerry.
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TV networks project key win for Obama | 9:24 p.m.
NBC, Fox, ABC, CNN, and CBS project Obama will win the battleground state of Ohio and its 20 electoral votes. Heading into the election, Obama led McCain by 7 points. Ohio was considered a must-win state for McCain. However, the Obama campaign flooded the state with volunteers in March, specifically rural and suburban regions. Obama had 82 offices in Ohio, more than double the number McCain had. Ohio has voted for the winning presidential candidate in every election since 1964. According to NBC, Obama has a considerable lead in electoral votes: 195 to McCain's 85.
McCain has won North Dakota and its 3 electoral votes (AP). CBS and NBC also project McCain will win Louisiana and its 9 electoral votes.
NBC and Fox are also projecting Obama will win New Mexico's 5 electoral votes. Historically, the state has had close races: In 2004, George Bush beat John Kerry by fewer than 6,000 votes. In 2000, Al Gore squeaked by Bush with less than 400 votes. Gov. Bill Richardson was a rumored vice-presidential candidate earlier this year and is expected to be a front-runner for a Cabinet position should Obama win the election.
Obama wins Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Minnesota (AP). The big wins here are Michigan with 17 electoral votes, New York with 31, and Wisconsin with 10. Obama held a huge 16-point lead in Michigan's polls heading into Election Day. The state's hard-hit economy has been the focus of both candidates during the campaign. The last time Michigan voted Republican was in 1988.
McCain wins Arkansas, Wyoming, and Alabama adding 18 more electoral votes to his count (AP). CNN, NBC, and Fox also project McCain will win North's Dakota's 3 electoral votes.
Obama wins the battleground state of Pennsylvania and its 21 electoral votes (AP). Heading into Election Day, he held a comfortable 10-point lead in the polls over McCain. Obama's campaign invested heavily in Sen. Biden's home state, with more than 60 offices throughout the state. The last time Pennsylvania went red was in 1988.
Obama has also won New Hampshire and its 4 electoral votes (AP). New Hampshire gave Obama the very first votes of Election Day, when he won the tiny town of Dixville Notch, the first Democrat to do so since 1968. The 75 or so residents of Dixville Notch began voting at midnight; the final tally: 15 votes for Obama, 6 for McCain. Since 1960, Dixville Notch has opened its polls just after midnight on Election Day.
ABC, CBS, and Fox project McCain will win Arkansas' 6 electoral votes. ABC and NBC also project McCain will win Alabama and its 9 electoral votes.
NBC and Fox project McCain will win the big-prize state of Georgia and its 15 electoral votes. Going into the election, McCain led Obama by a 5 percent margin, with 8 percent of voters undecided. Georgia has voted Republican in the last two presidential elections. Pres. Bush took the state twice, with huge wins over Al Gore and John Kerry.
North Main basketball game teaches valuable lessons in helping others
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North Main basketball game teaches valuable lessons in helping others
By Nancy Kriz
Clockwise and from the left: North Main fifth grader Franklin Schumacher; second grade teacher Cynthia Spina; Principal Matthew Kravatz; Joseph Pesce, physical education teacher; and Alaina Neubauer, a fifth grade student, talk about the upcoming North Main Elementary School faculty basketball game to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on Friday, Nov. 14. Photo by Nancy Kriz.
MONROE - An upcoming basketball game between the faculty at North Main Elementary School is a reaffirmation of how not just a school community - but the larger community as a whole - can unite together to assist children who are sick and need help.
Sure, there’s the friendly competitiveness between members of the school’s “Red” and “Blue” teams and their cheering supporters as well as the important lessons in sportsmanship and being both a gracious winner and good loser. But those are secondary to the game’s main purpose of helping sick children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.
The second annual benefit basketball game will take place Friday, Nov. 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the Monroe-Woodbury High School gym. Last year, more than 1,100 people attended the game, with people turned away because the gym had reached its capacity when it was held in the middle school’s gym.
The game raised $6,500 for St. Jude.
This year, organizers believe the new venue will allow even more people to participate and raise even more money for St. Jude, considered to be one of the world’s premier pediatric cancer research centers. Its mission is to find cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.
“What this stands for is helping kids in need,” said basketball team member Joseph Pesce, one of North Main’s physical education teachers. “It shows that our staff is united and strong and we’re doing something for the greater good. For the kids to see their teachers - their role models - do something for other people. This is what teachers do every day.”
“It (the game) teaches the students about teamwork and that it’s not all about winning,” added Cynthia Spina, a North Main second grade teacher who will be playing that night.
The North Main basketball game is being played in memory of Chester resident Christopher DePaulis, a third grade student who died last year of leukemia.
Helping others
North Main’s affiliation with St. Jude started when Matthew Kravatz, then North Main assistant principal, brought the St. Jude “Mathathon” program into the school. The “Mathathon” was a fund-raising activity where students secured financial sponsorship for correctly answering special math problems, with St. Jude as the beneficiary.
Kravatz is a childhood cancer survivor. At age two, he was diagnosed with a type of cancer rarely seen in small children. Though he wasn’t treated at St. Jude, his parents were told their little boy would have less than a five percent chance of survival. His only hope would be an experimental drug called Cisplatin, which at the time, wasn’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Surgery and chemotherapy cured the young Kravatz, who, as a result, feels strongly that everyone should help others dealing with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses or diseases.
“Perhaps the disease has directly impacted you, or you know of someone who has struggled with it,” Kravatz, now the school’s principal, wrote in a recent letter to parents. “While many positive steps have been taken in the fight of this terrible disease, there are still many people, including children, who are impacted on a daily basis.”
That “Mathathon” turned into a basketball game in 2007. It took on an even greater and emotional meaning to students and faculty last year when North Main student and Chester resident Christopher DePaulis died of leukemia. The game was played in his memory and will be again this year.
“Yes, we have to have tests and assessments and other state-mandated material,” said Kravatz. “But we need to teach them some type of empathy to help others less fortunate than themselves. This is about raising money for a good cause and they (the students) ‘get it.’ They understand what it’s all about.”
The second through fifth graders at North Main are actively involved in the game’s planning, said Kravatz. They’re buying red and blue team items from the school store, with proceeds benefiting St. Jude, and even donating money from their own pockets.
Tooth Fairy money
and allowances
“If my family, or me, was sick, I would want somebody to raise money for us,” said fifth grader Alaina Neubauer of Monroe. “That way the kids at St. Jude don’t feel alone. They’re not fighting by themselves.”
As part of her own contribution to the hospital, Alaina sold some of her personal trinkets to her cousins, raising a total of $4.53.
“I didn’t price them high,” she said. “I also gave my own $5 I got from the Tooth Fairy. It’s not about the team. It’s about the money you give to St Jude.”
Monroe resident Franklin Schumacher, also a fifth grader, donated his bi-weekly allowance of $9 to the cause.
“The game is a fun way to raise money for people in need,” said Franklin.
St. Jude is providing water bottles, hats and T-shirts as prizes to be handed out during the game. A hospital spokesperson emphasized the importance of events like this.
“That’s something we’re trying to make people realize, especially in this economy,” said Jen Joy, associate director for the St. Jude Albany-area fund-raising office. “Every dollar that comes in is a dollar more than we had a day before. It helps us to run a hospital that costs $1 million a day.”
Faculty who aren’t playing on either team are helping out at the concession stands and on cheerleading squads for both teams. Ancillary staff from the custodial department and other areas are also volunteering. Kravatz will serve as coach of the “Blue Team” while Assistant Principal Delores Terlecky is the “Red Team” coach.
“We’re trying to shape their young minds and get them to think about other people,” said Kravatz. “There’s so much more than school work. This (the game) is that. This is one of those events when the parents will walk out and say, ‘This is what school is supposed to be all about.’”
North Main basketball game teaches valuable lessons in helping others
By Nancy Kriz
Clockwise and from the left: North Main fifth grader Franklin Schumacher; second grade teacher Cynthia Spina; Principal Matthew Kravatz; Joseph Pesce, physical education teacher; and Alaina Neubauer, a fifth grade student, talk about the upcoming North Main Elementary School faculty basketball game to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on Friday, Nov. 14. Photo by Nancy Kriz.
MONROE - An upcoming basketball game between the faculty at North Main Elementary School is a reaffirmation of how not just a school community - but the larger community as a whole - can unite together to assist children who are sick and need help.
Sure, there’s the friendly competitiveness between members of the school’s “Red” and “Blue” teams and their cheering supporters as well as the important lessons in sportsmanship and being both a gracious winner and good loser. But those are secondary to the game’s main purpose of helping sick children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.
The second annual benefit basketball game will take place Friday, Nov. 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the Monroe-Woodbury High School gym. Last year, more than 1,100 people attended the game, with people turned away because the gym had reached its capacity when it was held in the middle school’s gym.
The game raised $6,500 for St. Jude.
This year, organizers believe the new venue will allow even more people to participate and raise even more money for St. Jude, considered to be one of the world’s premier pediatric cancer research centers. Its mission is to find cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.
“What this stands for is helping kids in need,” said basketball team member Joseph Pesce, one of North Main’s physical education teachers. “It shows that our staff is united and strong and we’re doing something for the greater good. For the kids to see their teachers - their role models - do something for other people. This is what teachers do every day.”
“It (the game) teaches the students about teamwork and that it’s not all about winning,” added Cynthia Spina, a North Main second grade teacher who will be playing that night.
The North Main basketball game is being played in memory of Chester resident Christopher DePaulis, a third grade student who died last year of leukemia.
Helping others
North Main’s affiliation with St. Jude started when Matthew Kravatz, then North Main assistant principal, brought the St. Jude “Mathathon” program into the school. The “Mathathon” was a fund-raising activity where students secured financial sponsorship for correctly answering special math problems, with St. Jude as the beneficiary.
Kravatz is a childhood cancer survivor. At age two, he was diagnosed with a type of cancer rarely seen in small children. Though he wasn’t treated at St. Jude, his parents were told their little boy would have less than a five percent chance of survival. His only hope would be an experimental drug called Cisplatin, which at the time, wasn’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Surgery and chemotherapy cured the young Kravatz, who, as a result, feels strongly that everyone should help others dealing with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses or diseases.
“Perhaps the disease has directly impacted you, or you know of someone who has struggled with it,” Kravatz, now the school’s principal, wrote in a recent letter to parents. “While many positive steps have been taken in the fight of this terrible disease, there are still many people, including children, who are impacted on a daily basis.”
That “Mathathon” turned into a basketball game in 2007. It took on an even greater and emotional meaning to students and faculty last year when North Main student and Chester resident Christopher DePaulis died of leukemia. The game was played in his memory and will be again this year.
“Yes, we have to have tests and assessments and other state-mandated material,” said Kravatz. “But we need to teach them some type of empathy to help others less fortunate than themselves. This is about raising money for a good cause and they (the students) ‘get it.’ They understand what it’s all about.”
The second through fifth graders at North Main are actively involved in the game’s planning, said Kravatz. They’re buying red and blue team items from the school store, with proceeds benefiting St. Jude, and even donating money from their own pockets.
Tooth Fairy money
and allowances
“If my family, or me, was sick, I would want somebody to raise money for us,” said fifth grader Alaina Neubauer of Monroe. “That way the kids at St. Jude don’t feel alone. They’re not fighting by themselves.”
As part of her own contribution to the hospital, Alaina sold some of her personal trinkets to her cousins, raising a total of $4.53.
“I didn’t price them high,” she said. “I also gave my own $5 I got from the Tooth Fairy. It’s not about the team. It’s about the money you give to St Jude.”
Monroe resident Franklin Schumacher, also a fifth grader, donated his bi-weekly allowance of $9 to the cause.
“The game is a fun way to raise money for people in need,” said Franklin.
St. Jude is providing water bottles, hats and T-shirts as prizes to be handed out during the game. A hospital spokesperson emphasized the importance of events like this.
“That’s something we’re trying to make people realize, especially in this economy,” said Jen Joy, associate director for the St. Jude Albany-area fund-raising office. “Every dollar that comes in is a dollar more than we had a day before. It helps us to run a hospital that costs $1 million a day.”
Faculty who aren’t playing on either team are helping out at the concession stands and on cheerleading squads for both teams. Ancillary staff from the custodial department and other areas are also volunteering. Kravatz will serve as coach of the “Blue Team” while Assistant Principal Delores Terlecky is the “Red Team” coach.
“We’re trying to shape their young minds and get them to think about other people,” said Kravatz. “There’s so much more than school work. This (the game) is that. This is one of those events when the parents will walk out and say, ‘This is what school is supposed to be all about.’”
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