West Columbia, SC 03/08/2021 - When East Point Academy 1st grade teacher Lindsey Fallaw read a news story about Johnston Elementary school rallying around 1st grader Lamere Johnson’s upcoming heart surgery, she knew her class would want to help as well. Her first graders enthusiastically jumped on board coming up with the idea of the “Path to Heath Walk-a-thon” to raise money. The students enjoyed designing and digitally drawing a logo, writing persuasive letters to donors, and even video chatting with Lamere himself. Lamere’s teacher, Carolyne Horton of Johnston Elementary, reflected on the video chat session exclaiming “He absolutely LOVED it! Lamere couldn’t stop talking about how cool it was to see students from a different school and talk to new people.”
Fallaw summarized the project’s impact stating “Embarking on this Walk-a-thon journey provided students an opportunity to positively impact others’ lives and know that even as a 7 year old, they are able to make a difference.” It was clear the students had a heart for the cause, and were proud of their accomplishments. When asked about the experience, 1st grade parent Kennedy Natvig said “This project has been so meaningful for Pearson because the class is helping someone his age. He has talked about Lamere daily and is so excited to be a part of his journey to getting a new heart. I have loved watching him discover that he can help others...” Panda parent Anna Huffman echoed the praise, adding “Reagan wrote letters to friends and family to support the cause and informed us daily about Lamere’s condition. It’s exciting to watch her six year old mind grow and see how much love and care she gives back.”
The Path to Heart Walk-a-thon raised an impressive $2,000 which will go directly to Lamere’s family. “While we know that Lamere will benefit from this effort, our students benefited as well,” said Head of School, Mark Bounds. He continued, “This has been a challenging year, but our teachers have provided five days of on-campus instruction since September 2nd and our students have been fortunately to have a nearly normal school routine. We are proud of Ms. Fallaw and our amazing students."
