Local Girls Walk To Donate Money to Children’s Hospital

BROCKWAY, Pa. – A group of girls from the community of Brockway have laced up their sneakers to raise money for UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Leah Trunzo, Rachael Ellenberger, Abigail Rhed-Latshaw, Shian Munoz, Emma Miller, and Madelyn Schmader (pictured above left to right) got the idea to keep track of their steps and find sponsors. They are already active, so they wanted to be active for a good cause.

“We had to come up with an idea for a civics project,” Trunzo said. “Actually, doing it gave us bonus points, but the bonus points don’t matter. We just did it.”

“We didn’t have to do it,” Ellenberger added. She had a surgery at Children’s Hospital when she was younger. “We just went farther with it than we had to.”

The girls talked to their science teacher, Matt Oknefski, and figured out a way to tie money to miles. They had sponsors pick an amount to donate per mile walked or run. They also took flat donations. At first, the girls walked around the school and found sponsors, but they also talked to people in their community. By the end of November, they had trekked to Brockway businesses.

“We have logs that Mr. Oknefski made for us,” Rhed-Latshaw, who had back surgery at the hospital in the past, said. “We track how many miles we walk that day and add it into a spreadsheet.”

Children’s Hospital is an important place for the girls and Oknefski. Each of their lives have been enriched by the facility.

“My sister went to Children’s Hospital,” Schmader said. “They take really good care of the kids. They’re really nice and welcoming, and they even give you stuffed animals and pillow cases! Pittsburgh is local when it comes to a children’s hospital.”

“It’s the only place that we felt that our work should benefit,” Trunzo said. “We’ve all had something associated with Children’s. Everyone we know goes there.”

The girls raised $1200 and walked 196.5 miles. Oknefski plans to give a check to Children’s Hospital sometime around Christmas.