Six candidates lined up in the Trinity Lutheran High School gymnasium to see who had raised the most money for a school fundraiser.
That person would come face to face with Seymour barber Ric Temple and his razor. One by one, each of the candidates was dismissed until there was one left — senior Josh Rowe.
Resource teacher Sarah Bumbleburg is the faculty adviser for Trinity’s Riley Dance Marathon team, and they have fundraisers throughout the year up until the time of the marathon. This will be the second year for the event set for April 4.
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“This is a fundraiser the Riley Dance Marathon committee chose to do, so we asked for a representative from each class to participate in the event,” Bumbleburg said. “As far as I know, this is the first year the school has done head shaving for a fundraiser for Riley Hospital for Children.”
Bumbleburg said special activities and fundraisers took place during the last week of January at Trinity. Buckets were set out in the commons area so staff and students had an opportunity to donate extra change for the contestant they wanted to see in the top spot for the head shaving event.
A total of $229.62 was raised that week, but on the day of the event, Bumbleburg announced there was an opportunity for people to donate an extra $10. That would allow them to take a turn at using the hair clippers on Rowe.
Three students stepped up to the challenge and donated the extra money — juniors Bailey Cain and Tanner Bauserman and sophomore Ryan Kleman, who was runner-up in the event.
Also, two faculty members, Bumbleburg and Lindsey Trah, each donated an extra $10, and so did Matt Rowe, Josh’s uncle, who came to see how his nephew fared in the contest.
“Yes, it was fun to help shave my nephew’s head,” Matt said. “Not many kids would get their hair cut off when they’re getting ready to go to a school dance the next day.”
Bumbleburg said with the added contributions, the event raised a total of $289.62, all of which will go directly to Riley Hospital in Indianapolis.
In the hot seat was Josh Rowe, who has been involved in many activities during his high school years at Trinity, including baseball, basketball, playing Birdie in the school’s production of “Bye Bye Birdie” and being on the Riley Dance Marathon committee, just to name a few.
“When it was decided to have a head shaving contest to raise money, I signed up,” Rowe said. “My cousin’s grandma gave $100 right at the start, and the person that raised the most money was the one to get a head shave. I was glad to help for the kids at Riley.”
Candidates in the contest besides Rowe were freshman Olivia Schwipps, Kleman and junior Jose Trinidad. Staff and faculty candidates were Principal Clayton Darlage and Pastor Joshua Haugen.
“I wasn’t nervous about being one of the candidates for the contest because I saw how much money had gone into the buckets for the top two boys, Kleman and Rowe,” Haugen said. “It was a combination of me volunteering and being drafted into the contest. A person can always say no, but it was for a good cause.”
Bumbleburg said she is excited about being a sponsor this year, which allows her to play a bigger role than she did last year for the worthy cause. The support she already has seen from the student body and parents have been very positive.
Bumbleburg said God has blessed her and her husband, Mike, and three beautiful, healthy daughters, and she never wants to take their health for granted. Yet if their journey would ever include a trip to Riley for health reasons, she wants to be sure proper research has been done. By participating in dance marathon, she can guarantee it will be.
The marathon is a multi-hour, multi-faceted event that blends dancing, games, crafts, food and fun into one philanthropic experience. Students are on their feet the entire duration of the marathon, as they stand for the kids at Riley who might not be able to stand on their own.
Last year at the completion of Trinity’s Riley Dance Marathon, $6,000 had been raised. So far this year, $1,700 has been raised with all of the Trinity school fundraisers.
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Trinity Lutheran High School’s Riley Dance Marathon is set for 4 to 10 p.m. April 4 at the school, 7120 N. County Road 875E, Seymour.
For information on how you can help, visit https://secure2.convio.net/rcf/site/TR?fr_id=4107&pg=entry or email [email protected].
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