Wrapped in hope for a cure
High school groups raise money for ALS with creative fleece quilts
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October 17, 2008

By GLORIA CARR Staff Writer

BURLINGTON -- Central High School junior Liz Halbmaier can rattle off statistics and describe the effects of Lou Gehrig's Disease on a body, emphasizing there is no cure or prevention.

Then she'll tell you about her great uncle, Tom Hugh.

"He was a big bear," she said fondly of her uncle. That was before he was stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. "He was a bus driver, he was a bowler and he was a happy guy."

The effects of the disease have robbed Hugh of the ability to move his legs and arms, and he is unable to communicate, Halbmaier said. "It's quite frustrating and hard on him," she said.

Life expectancy is three to five years. Hugh, who is the brother of Halbmaier's grandfather, has lived with ALS for eight years, she said.

Hugh motivates and inspires the CHS student to do fundraisers every chance she gets.

The latest fundraiser involves the school's Service Club. Halbmaier was unable to participate in a walkathon for ALS this summer but wanted to do another fundraiser. She brought the idea to the Service Club, where she is president, and the members brainstormed an idea to make fleece quilts and hold a silent auction to sell them.

Service Club's 100 members reached that goal this week, creating 18 fleece quilts representing various CHS clubs. An auction will be held during tonight's homecoming celebrations.

"This fundraiser is close to all our hearts. We all know someone who has this disease," Halbmaier said. A classmate and her Service Club adviser, Sue Zagorski, know someone with ALS too.

Service Club started the project at the beginning of the school year. Other school clubs sponsored a quilt by donating $25 for the materials, Zagorski said. Zagorski and other students, with help from Halbmaier's mom, Jeanna, picked out fabrics that represented each club. The National Honor Society's quilt has owls wearing glasses, while the cross country team has a quilt that features running shoes, Zagorski said.

Her classes gathered their coins to raise money for the quilt and hopes to bid on it. Zagorski teaches science fiction and fantasy literature. The class's fleece quilt has rocket ships on it, she said.

Fellow teacher Donna Basak volunteered to embroider the names of the participating clubs on the quilts to personalize each. Basak donated her time and supplies, Zagorski said.

"This way, they look really neat," Zagorski said, adding the process of making a fleece quilt is pretty simple but the embroidering takes more time for Basak.

The proceeds from the silent auction go to ALS research.

"All my friends know about it and how passionate I am about it," Halbmaier said, about raising money for ALS. "If anyone has questions, I will tell them about it (ALS). Sometimes I ramble on and on, but I want people to understand how hard it is on the person who has it and the people who love them."

Zagorski said the Service Club always is coming up with ideas to do fundraisers and volunteer projects. The students just run with the ideas. "I just kind of frantically guide them," she said. "It's amazing how giving these kids are. In between, they have volunteered at a bunch of places. I think sometimes high school kids don't get a lot of credit for the good things they do."

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