RICHMOND, Va. -- Thursday afternoon at Advent Christian Childcare in Mechanicsville, 180 little hearts were racing because of the simple joy that comes with lining up and pieing teachers and staff in the face.
The event was a play on March 14th’s Pi Day which celebrates the mathematical constant of π represented by the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.
22 of the daycare’s staff had their faces smeared by with paper plates topped off with whip cream, but the only thing sweeter than the being pied is perhaps the purpose behind this celebration.
The Childcare’s administrator Pam Dicken helped organize the event as a reward for her students' efforts to fundraise for the American Heart Association.
“I have been doing things with the American Heart Association (AHA) for about 30-something years now, but it started when my oldest son Joshua was born with heart disease,” Dicken said. “He died when he was almost 10 in the 4th grade.”
Ever since the loss of her son, Dicken has been committed to the AHA’s cause, turning here heartache into to hope for others battling heart complications.
While the Heart Health Challenge is typically something seen in public schools across the commonwealth, Dicken has recruited her students and staff at Advent Christian Childcare to take part in the mission, becoming the first and only daycare in the state to do so.
The promise of pieing teachers in the face was used as an incentive for her kids to go above and beyond their initial fundraising goals.
“Our program director wanted an incentive for these littles to get excited about Finn’s Mission and we didn’t have many kids signing up and so she came up with this,” Dicken said. We had a goal of $5,000 and we doubled that we raised $10,208.08.”
According to the AHA the average school raises about $3,500. Additionally, 22 kids complete the AHA’s Finn’s Mission campaign to learn hand only CPR. Its initial goal was 18 kids.
9-year-old year old Gracie Williams was recognized along with three other kids as one of the top fundraisers at the daycare. With the help of her mom, Gracie raised over $1000.
“I just loved doing it! It feels good!” Gracie said. “There are kids that are in need that don’t have much of a heart. I just love helping kids that are need!”
Gracie’s mother Amy Williams said she couldn’t be prouder.
“Man, she worked for it,” Williams said. ”As part of a church and part of a childcare to be able to help love and support good causes and to encourage kids to look beyond themselves and support a community and help others is really cool.’
“I received a donation from his 4th grade teacher this year and it was in the memo ‘ in memory of Joshua Swinson so that was super cool to know that he is still remembered so long ago,” Dicken said.
“ I think it starts when they’re little. I they start knowing heart-healthy things and being heart-healthy aware, then I think they’ll have an advantage when they grow up,” Dicken said. “Maybe out littles weren’t learning that, but I know their parents were, so that’s another way to reach out to the community and maybe improve some heart health along the way.”
Dicken says the money raised will used by the AHA to bolster its research efforts and community programming.
‘I love the fact that there is so much that goes to research, and it also helps to continue these programs as well and I would hope that other childcares and other schools would jump on this heart challenge.”
This is the second year the daycare has put on this event. Though the money raised is its own reward, pieing teachers is without question. The icing on top.
“I challenge other daycares to get involved in this because this is fun,” Dicken said. “They have enjoyed everything that we’ve done. We’re a nonprofit, but we love to give back to the community. I think it starts when they’re little.”
Advent Christian Childcare is hoping to put on the same event next year except they want to double the amount of money they raise to the AHA to $20,000.
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