(Posted April 4, 2011)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Preschoolers at Juniata College's Early Childhood Education Center will turn a flat surface normally used to play basketball into a racetrack as part of a trike-a-thon to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Tuesday, April 12 and Wednesday, April 13 on the Juniata campus.

This marks the 10th anniversary the Early Childhood Education Center has held the Trike-a-thon.

"We're using the trike-a-thon to raise the children's awareness of bike safety and traffic rules, and continue to use the fundraising success of the trike-a-thon to learn about philanthropy."

Sylvia McDowell, co-director of the center.

To date, the Early Childhood Education Center has raised $12,978 for St. Jude's in the decade the trike-a-thon has been held. Last year, the event raised $1,125.

The children will be riding their tricycles on a course set on the college's outdoor basketball court near Ellis Hall at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday.
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The children will ride through a course set up with traffic cones, and all riders will wear safety helmets. In case of rain or other inclement weather, the event will be rescheduled for the same times on Thursday, April 14.
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"We're using the trike-a-thon to raise the children's awareness of bike safety and traffic rules, and continue to use the fundraising success of the trike-a-thon to learn about philanthropy," says Sylvia McDowell, co-director of the center.
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Members of the community can make donations as the children are riding. Children enrolled at the center also will bring home sponsor forms for friends, relatives and neighbors to sponsor their rides.

All donations received during the trike-a-thon will go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The hospital was founded in 1962 in Memphis, Tenn., as a hospital specializing in treatment of catastrophic diseases. All patients accepted for treatment at St. Jude are treated without regard to the family's ability to pay.



Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.