Lincoln Middle School students collect funds, present check to UCP Seguin

BERWYN – North Berwyn School District 98 eighth grade students at Lincoln Middle School hit the streets last October for a 10K walk-a-thon to raise funds for UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago. On March 28, the school presented a $5,400 check to support people with disabilities.

Lincoln Middle School’s eighth-graders have been participating for the last 10 years in the Youth Leadership & Disability Awareness program (YLDA) and the walk-a-thon to benefit individuals served by UCP.

The event is held at Morton West High School and brings UCP Seguin participants with disabilities together with Lincoln students, walking side-by-side and sharing in exercise, fun and food. Lincoln Middle School students have raised more than $80,000 over the past decade to benefit UCP Seguin, according to a new release.

Top student fundraisers were Ronaldo Huerta, Michelle Counsell and Giovanni Quintero, who received special awards and recognition at the March 28 check presentation at Lincoln Middle School.

The Youth Leadership and Disability Awareness project is a joint effort between Lincoln and UCP Seguin. All eighth grade students read a book titled, “The Man Who Loved Clowns” by June Rae Wood. The book is about a 13-year-old girl who lives with her parents and her uncle, who has down syndrome. The students then spend six weeks increasing their awareness, knowledge and understanding of individuals with disabilities during this multidisciplinary unit.

In this school year, UCP Seguin participants visited Lincoln Middle School students for the UCP Seguin Social on Oct. 18, for an afternoon of pizza, music, crafts and friendship. On the same day, students also enjoyed a personal reading and discussion with author June Rae Wood. The unit culminated in the annual walk-a-thon.

For more information, call Kelley Currier at 708.222.5143 or visit www.seguin.org.