Hog Wild

It was 1998 and it was a H-U-G-E success. Swine Week at Edmond Memorial. One of my dearest friends was the chair that year and the student body raised more than 100K, which was 30K more than any year before.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, I'll explain: my high school had a student-driven fundraiser. It is a week- long campaign and includes everything from a live auction to a dance to contests between students and teachers to pig-kissing contest, etc. We (the student council) would come up with a list of recipients and vote on it, always trying to keep it local, and often times the recipient was or was related to the Memorial family. All money raised went to cover medical bills or research or something.

I just wanted to share about the 2009 Swine Week for a second - the students and community raised nearly $320,000 in ONE WEEK! Even in the tough economy, this is such a tribute to the compassion and ability to give in Edmond and a showcase for other schools to follow. How awesome is that? I'm including a few articles from the local Edmond paper from a few weeks ago (been meaning to post this for a week or so now!).

Article One
Article Two

It's just awesome to see how something that started small, raising $3,000 23 years ago has grown so significantly. Swine Week was a huge part of my high school experience and I am so proud to share about how wonderful the tradition has become to the community.