Plum’s Pivik Elementary School sat high on a leaderboard of state schools after students helped to raise more than $27,000 for an annual drive benefiting the American Heart Association.
The school ranked fifth in Pennsylvania and the highest in the region by far for the association’s Kids Heart Challenge Fundraiser.
The challenge, which lasted all of February, saw students throughout the country participate in aerobic activities and learn about heart health as schools raised money.
In the past, Pivik health and physical education teacher Keith Nonnenberg said, students typically raised between $10,000 and $15,000.
But this year, the students efforts were boosted by a large donation, he said.
In addition to nearly $13,000 raised by the students’ efforts, the proceeds from a nearby golf outing — totaling around $15,000 — were donated to the association.
Phil Mains, a 2005 Plum alumnus and CFO of Pat McAfee Inc., said he and his wife have organized the benefit outing at Rolling Fields Golf Club in Murrysville for several years. Each year, he said, the proceeds have been donated to a different organization.
Mains said he decided this year to donate to the American Heart Association for the benefit of Blake Klodowski, a Pivik third grader born with a heart condition.
“It’s a way for us to give back,” he said.
Nonnenberg said many others in the community helped with Pivik’s efforts by donating online. He was grateful for the generosity of the Plum community.
To encourage his students to get involved, Nonnenberg told them about the importance of helping others.
“The kids were really, really excited to see Pivik Elementary so high on the leaderboard,” he said.
He said the American Heart Association offers credit to purchase gym materials as a benefit for their fundraising effort.
At Pivik, students could expect some new footballs and other items soon, Nonnenberg said.
