Four elementary schools will be battling in a dodgeball tournament tonight not only for bragging rights, but also for a good cause.
Doors for the sixth annual Food-A-Thon open at 6 p.m., with the first match starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Lakeview Middle School gym. Participants will include staff and sixth-graders.
Students from the four participating schools – Jefferson, Lincoln, Harrison and Leesburg – all graduate into Lakeview, said Leesburg Principal Randy Dahms.
The first game pits Harrison vs. Lincoln. Jefferson then faces Leesburg. After a consolation game, the two winning teams will go head-to-head in the championship game.
The purpose of the dodgeball tournament is to collect canned goods for Combined Community Services.
There is no cost to attend the event, but each person must bring two cans of food. For each two cans, a person will be given a raffle ticket.
During the course of the night, the tickets will be drawn for prizes that range from smaller items to a pair of Colts tickets, four tickets to the Indiana University vs. Purdue University football game, a pair of Indiana Pacers vs. Phoenix Suns basketball game tickets and four Wagon Wheel Theatre tickets and more, according to Jefferson Principal David Robertson. Curtis Painter, former Purdue University and Indianapolis Colts quarterback, will be at the event to sign autographs and take pictures with the public, Dahms said. People should bring their own camera.
The more canned food items a person brings in, the more tickets they get and the better chance they have at winning, Dahms said. All proceeds go to CCS.
“We know people in the community who really need food, especially around the holidays. It all stays local,” Dahms said.
Scott Mehlberg, Harrison teacher, said Harrison collected more than 3,800 canned food items last year. More than 6,000 total items were collected by all four schools last year. The goal this year, Dahms said, is to collect at least 7,000.
Harrison Principal Lee Snider said Harrison started collecting food items Oct. 22. Harrison is the only school that starts collecting food items before the event each year, but Dahms said Harrison’s win last year motivated his staff to consider collecting early next year.
“I don’t think Harrison has ever lost,” Snider said.
Mehlberg’s 6-year-old daughter, Addison, is one of many Harrison students collecting for CCS. She was given money for Halloween by her grandparents’ friend, but she decided to use that money to help CCS.
“Because I wanted to win,” Addison said. “Because I wanted to be nice, give other people food who don’t have it.”
Leesburg Student Council will run a concession stand during the event.
Everyone is invited to come to the event, Snider said. All the food collected at last year’s event, he said, was gone by the end of February.
“That is what we do this for, to support our community and CCS,” Snider said.
He also reminded the public that Willie 103.5 will have its Food-A-Thon at Martin’s Supermarket today from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Non-perishable food items and cash donations will be collected for CCS.
