Crestdale Middle School students and staff raised their voices and more than 460,000 pennies to support a classmate who’s battling leukemia. Sixth grader John Dennehy has been in and out of the hospital since August. His classmates sponsored a Pennies for Patients drive and raised more than $4,600. On Tuesday, Nov. 24, the entire school participated in a rally and a Hop for Dennehy to celebrate their accomplishments and to show John they are with him all the way.

The Crestdale Beta Club has sponsored a Pennies for Patients drive for years, but eighth grader Jake Kalik said this year was different. “One of our own was attacked by this disease. Many of the sixth graders here went to elementary school with John, and even if we don’t know him personally, he means a lot to us. This was important.”

The original plan was to hold a Dash for Dennehy on the track, but wet weather meant the students had to be creative. The sixth grade gathered in the gym, joined by the jazz band and cheerleaders. Seventh and eighth graders watched the celebration on closed-circuit TV – except for the grade-level representatives participating in the new event – the Hop for Dennehy. Students competed in sack races, first by grade level, then in a playoff. The staff team won the final round – although there was some talk that the teachers may have started the race a little earlier than everyone else!

Robin Snow with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society spoke to the students. “We could be celebrating a lot here at Crestdale today. Your great teachers and staff, your sports teams, your great clubs. But today we are celebrating your spirit and support for John, and that’s important.”

School staff videotaped the entire rally and each student club created a poster to show support for John. His homebound teacher, Susan Tinker, will bring the videotape and posters to John so he can see how much his friends are behind him.

“He’s going to think this is awesome,” she said. “He’ll also think, ‘why me?’ because he’s very humble.”

Tinker said John has kept a great attitude throughout his illness. “He always makes me feel better. When I’m having a bad day, as soon as I see him, I can’t help but smile.”

Raj Dave is one of John’s friends. “He was on my football team. I’m glad we did this – that’s a lot of money to raise for research. I think John’s really going to be happy that we did all this good stuff for him. We want him to get better and come back to school.”