Kids & Family
Local Heroes Help Promote Community Unity for School Fundraiser
The day was a celebration of community unity and comradery, everyone feeling gratitude to the teachers and officers for their roles.
Local Town and Country Policemen, Josh Hamel and Alex Pflueger, participated in the Kirk Day School Color Run to support the children and promote school unity. The run took place in the school parking lot as a fundraiser for Kirk Day School’s Highlander Fund. All the runners had color thrown on them by faculty, parents and volunteers from the UMSL baseball team. Afterward, the children cooled off under the West County EMS and Fire truck hoses, a true celebration of the West County community.
The officers desire to participate in the fundraiser contributed to the uplifting community spirit of the day. “The kids see us in our police uniforms all the time, so we wanted to take this opportunity and show them that we are not only police officers, but normal human beings as well. Plus, we knew it would be fun” said Officer Josh Hamel. The $40,000 goal was exceeded, with donations coming in over $45,000. All donations supported the school's Highlander Fund, an annual fund that provides scholarship money to children and aids teachers with advanced professional development opportunities, among other things.
During the final lap, officers Hamel, Pflueger and members of the Kirk Day School faculty were cheered on by a crowd of 400 people. The children threw colorful powder in the air at the runners, laughter and cheers ringing throughout the group. The officers said “The past 2 years, we have built a great partnership with KDS, and built great relationships with the kids! We are thrilled to be so involved with the school.” The day was a celebration of community unity and comradery, each parent feeling gratitude to the teachers and officers for the roles they represent.