Health & Fitness
Rundlett Student, Flipz Gymnast Raises Money for Making Strides
While most middle schoolers would likely sleep in on a Saturday morning, 6th grader Kara Denoncourt got up and used gymnastics to raise money for breast cancer.
October is breast cancer awareness month. There are Making Strides events nation wide, (Concord's is on Sunday, Oct. 14, at Memorial Field). I will be participating in "Barbells for Boobs" another nationwide event being held at White Mountain Crossfit that rasies money for mammograms on Oct. 27. It is impossible to NOT know someone affected by cancer, and breast cancer in particular.
Eleven year old Kara Denoncourt is the co-captain of Team Parker Academy, and will be walking in the Making Strides event on Sunday October 14th at Memorial Field. Rather than ask for donations, Kara decided to perform gymnastics moves for money. Robyn Grant, owner of FLipz Gymnastics was only to happy to offer her open gym time as the venue for Kara's fund raiser. (I paid a dollar for a cartwheel!) The larger the donation, the trickier the stunt, or the higher the volume. Kara is no stranger to breast cancer. Her great aunt was Liz Parker, the late wife of Parker Academy founder David Parker. Liz's struggle with the disease was long and painful. Her loss is still felt deeply by those who knew and loved her.
Kara showed up with her Mom and Dad Kellie and Phil at 10:30 to set up. There were snacks and goodies, tattoos and balloons to be had for a donation. Kellie wrote the names and donation amounts of each person on a white piece of paper and photogrphed Kara before each set of skills were performed. She got money from friends, neighbors, relatives, and people in the gym. In just two hours she raised $420. I have trouble writing this with out choking up. Ten back walkovers for the Broadbents, Two back handsprings for MeeMee, a back tuck for Coach Maddie...over the course of two hours she performed on the beam, bars, vault and floor. She climbed the rope! As people attending open gym caught on to what was going on Kara gathered an audience and each set of tricks was followed by a round of applause.
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In an age where many children are detached from civic activities, volunteerism and public service it was heartwarming to watch this young girl, supported by her family take time out of her long weekend to help others. What will you do over the course of your life to make things better for other people? Follow Kara's lead, take something you enjoy and make it into an opportunity to rasie money or awareness for a cause that matters to you. Kara did it, and so can you!
