Kenrose Elementary Honored for Over a Decade of Giving

Published December 3, 2015

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is honoring Kenrose Elementary for being one of its top fundraising schools. On November 20, the organization presented the school with an Over a Decade of Making A Difference banner.

Kenrose began participating in the Tennessee Chapter’s Student Series’ Pennies for Patients program in 2003 and has since raised more than $109,700 for the fight against cancer. Kenrose has also been the top overall fundraising school for Pennies for Patients in the state for the past six years.

“I am so proud of the generosity of the Kenrose community in the support shown for Pennies for Patients over the years,” said Kenrose Elementary Principal Marilyn Webb. “The adults and children in our community value helping others, and they demonstrate this value in each of our outreach opportunities. It is truly a blessing to be a part of this community and to know lives have been touched by the generosity shown at Kenrose.”

The tradition of Pennies for Patients started when a Kenrose kindergarten student, Blake Diggs, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in 2001. The next school year, Kenrose participated in its first Pennies for Patients. Blake is now a sophomore at Auburn University. Blake’s mother, Polly, attended the assembly and spoke briefly about Blake’s journey and how much Kenrose’s support meant to her family.

Officials with LLS say schools like Kenrose are not just raising money, they are saving lives.

“This is an awesome accomplishment,” said LLS Tennessee Chapter Campaign Manager Connie Hood. “Today, several students received character awards for perseverance. I thought this was most appropriate as Kenrose has persevered for 13 years in helping LLS with our mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of our patients and their families.”