Friday, Bridges Prep students and a local motorcycle group donated more than $2,500 to a Bridges Prep family whose child is undergoing cancer treatment. Bridges Prep student Cody Fairey had a Medulloblastoma removed from his brain stem. He will start chemo and radiation Feb. 27 for six weeks at the Medical University of South Carolina. After that he will go to Charlotte for physical therapy for four weeks, after which he will return to MUSC for further evaluation.
Casey Chucta, Cody's sixth grade teacher, along with all of Bridges sixth grade students created the "Quarters for Cody" drive after learning that their classmate was hospitalized with cancer. Ms. Chucta organized the fundraiser. “It’s something we do for love,” Chucta said. “We wanted to find a way to reach out and help Cody, and to let him and his family know we miss him and think about him.”
“Sixth grade students at Bridges decided to do something to demonstrate our Bridges strong community,” said Jamie Dyas, who taught Cody in fourth grade at Bridges. Students came up with the idea of collecting quarters.
“Some students thought it sounded like a sports term, so to show that we are a team that stands behind Cody, students were able to wear a jersey or sport shirt with their donation. This will help us show our support financially and as a collective community that unites for our peers,” Dyas said.
Cannon Gilman, a former Bridges Prep student and friend of Cody, has been working with a Salkehatchie motorcycle group to collect donations. Friday, in the midst of the other quarter donations, representatives of the motorcycle group rolled up to the school.
Students from all grade levels at the school collected about $2,200 for Cody’s family, and the motorcyclists are still working toward additional donations but presented $300 to the school Friday.
“We talk a lot about how Bridges Prep is more than a charter school, it’s a family of learners,” said Chris Wilson, interim Head of School. “This fundraiser started at the student level and really is their project, but it’s a great illustration of how we all feel connected as part of the Bridges family.”
“Speaking for the Bridges Board of Directors, we are very proud of these young people coming together to help a fellow student,” Board Chair Dee Matthews said. “They show great compassion and empathy and they want to help a friend. That’s an important character trait for our young people to nourish.”
Bridges Prep is located in Beaufort SC.