Battle Fundraiser Helps Local Student

  At the annual Battle of the Buildings, Friendship Elementary proved that it truly deserves its name.

  Students from the elementary school played a video urging members of the community to donate to Zach Myers, a third-grader at Friendship who has a genetic tissue disorder known as Epidermolysis Bullosa, or EB.

  Zach’s story, though, starts long before the Battle of the Buildings. EB, also known as Butterfly Disease, is a rare disease that can interfere with even the most basic tasks, causing skin covered in blisters and sores. However, Zach has a ray of hope. This July, people with EB from around the world will gather for the DEBRA convention in Texas to provide support to those who need it most. Zach’s dream is to attend this conference, but the hefty cost of registration, airfare, and hotels is just too much for his family to cover alone.

  Instead of letting Zach’s hopes fade, his classmates at Friendship made other plans. With the help of his family, students and staff members have worked tirelessly to raise money for their friend, successfully raising over $5,000 before Thursday, February 25.

  Friendship Elementary principal Beth Koontz is overjoyed at the participation she has seen from her students.

  “This is truly the whole staff and student body,” said Koontz. “Everyone is contributing in some manner through donations, time, baked goods and sharing of ideas to raise funds.”

  After the competition on Thursday and a few other events, Friendship staff estimates that the total donations have surpassed $6,000. Amazingly, the fundraising started at the beginning of February.

  Zach was unable to attend the actual event, but his family came out to represent him. His sister Madisyn Myers, another Friendship student, collected donations after the show.

  “[It means] a lot [to raise money] for my brother Zachary,” said Myers. “We’re going to Texas… so that he knows that he’s not the only one who has Epidermolysis Bullosa.”

  Friendship assistant principal Lisa Boyer has supported Zach since the very beginning of the campaign.

  “[Zach] has bandages all over his body because he has this condition where his skin is as tender as a butterfly’s wings. It’s almost like having third-degree burns all over [his] body,” said Boyer. “Our goal is we just want to raise as much [money] as we can because we want to send him to Texas… [where he] will, for the first time in his life, probably feel like he’s not different from anybody else.”

  While teachers were the ones who brought the community into the gym on Thursday night, it was the students who did most of the fundraising work. As the crowd left the high school, several students stood in the lobby collecting donations from generous community members. Student Emily Wright was one of these dedicated volunteers.

  “It was really cool [collecting donations],” said Wright. “Me and Madisyn have always been really good friends, and Zach is such a nice little boy, so why not [help out]?”

  The fundraiser is far from over, though. Anyone who wants to donate to Zach’s campaign can visit his page at YouCaring.com and can attend the Friendship Carnival on Friday, March 4 from 5-8 p.m.