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Victoria Montel, a Harrison Elementary School second-grader, became very ill earlier this year.
Doctors informed her family the little girl contracted a rare kidney disease, and she's been going to Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, and Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne, to deal with the problem.
"She may need a kidney transplant," said Randy Polston, Harrison principal. Both of Victoria's kidneys are affected - one has completely shut down and the other is working at only 50 percent.
Along with Victoria's medical problem have come high medical bills. To help the family, her classmates started a "love offering" Feb. 14 to raise money, with a deadline of Feb. 28. By that date, the school raised $3,231. Victoria's classroom wanted to extend the deadline in hopes of raising more money. Her teacher, Deb McClintock, said she would dye her hair purple if the school raised $5,000 by the March 7 deadline. Physical education teacher Scott Mehlberg raised the ante and said he would shave the hair off his head if they raised $6,000.
As of Thursday, Harrison raised $6,137. By 3 p.m. Friday, Polston reported the students and the community raised $8,450.97 for Montel.
"It's the kids' efforts and even the community," said Polston.
The American Legion donated $1,000. One man, whom Polston said he never met before, offered to donate his kidneys to Victoria and wanted to know how to go about doing that.
"This community continues to amaze me," Polston said. "That's what this community is about."
On Thursday, a parent told Polston he would write another check for $1,000 if more teachers did something "crazy." Two more teachers agreed to color their hair purple and dress up as cheerleaders at 9 a.m. March 14, when Mehlberg will shave his head. First-grade teachers have agreed to dress up as babies on that day, too.
