After Mila Bazos rode her tricycle around the gym at the Easton Community Center with her fellow preschoolers last month to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, she took to social media to raise even more money.
The four-year-old raised $1,300 during the center’s annual St. Jude’s Trike-a-Thon after her mother posted a video of her on Facebook asking friends and relatives for donations and why it was important to donate to St. Jude’s and help end childhood cancer.
During the community center’s annual Trik-a-Thon, children enrolled in the Playtots preschool bring their trikes and their helmets and ride around at the gymnasium with bumpers and stop signs for about half an hour. Their parents and loved ones watch and cheer them on. Staff of the center ride around in adult sized tricycles as well.
This year’s Trike-a-Thon raised $7,650 for St. Judes, which leads the way the world understands, treats, and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. St. Jude’s holds the annual Trike-a-Thons all over the country and encourages preschools and elementary schools to raise money.
This is the center’s 13th year in participating in the event. Since it began hosting the event in 2009 it has raised over $48,000 to enable St. Jude to continue its work.
Carol Lisi, the Playtots Preschool director. said the annual event teaches children about bike safety while learning to give back to others.
“Our children are two, three, four and five so we present it to them in a way that they can understand at a young age that they are helping other children that maybe are not as fortunate as they are. It is very rewarding to see them want to participate and help other children. It’s a great way to start teaching little children to give back, and giving back is important,” said Lisi.
Lisi said the center was able to raise $7,650 because of the generosity of the Playtot parents.
“Playtots families are the best. No matter what we throw out there. Whether it was a food drive at Thanksgiving, or during the holidays we had a gift giving tree for families in need over the holidays,” said Lisi. “All we have to do is throw it out to the families and every single time they rise to the occasion.”
To learn more about the Playtots Preschool program, sessions and summer camp for kids 3 to 12 years of age, visit the Easton Community Center website.
