Every May, Evans City Elementary School students STOMP. around their building for 20 minutes.
STOMP, which stands for Saulle’s Teddy Bear Official Memorial Parade, formed to honor Linda Saulle, a beloved Evans City kindergarten teacher who succumbed to gastrointestinal cancer in 2007.
“She was a passionate educator who always put her kids first,” says Lauri Pendred, principal at the elementary school. “Linda was caring and giving.”
Saulle was known for her annual Teddy Bear Picnic, which her students would attend with their teddy bears in tow. This picnic served as the inspiration for the STOMP parade.
Delivering on pledges and donations, each class takes a 20-minute walk around the building on STOMP day carrying signs, posters and teddy bears with the message, “STOMP Out Cancer.” Before the walk, students and teachers write loved ones’ names on banners labeled “Survivors” and “Those We Remember.”
The first STOMP in 2009 raised $13,487, which established an endowment in Linda Saulle’s honor at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, where she underwent treatment for liver cancer.
With $20,634 collected for this year’s STOMP, the event has now raised $101,568 for cancer research at UPCI’s Hillman Center Since its inception.
“That’s pretty phenomenal,” Pendred says.
en-year-old Derek Wessel has walked each year since kindergarten. “It feels good to raise money to help people with cancer,” Derek says.
Skye, Derek’s 13-year-old sister who’s currently in eighth grade, was in first grade when Saulle passed away. “I was devastated,” Skye says.
Derek and Skye, with help from their parents, raised a little more than $1,000 for this year’s STOMP.
STOMP also has a special meaning for 8-year-old Casey and 11-year-old Alivia Clawson. Six years ago Casey’s and Alivia’s parents began holding an annual golf outing at Manor Valley Golf Course in Export, Pa., in honor of their grandfather,Bob Clawson, who died from stage 3 lung cancer. Every year, proceeds from the outing go to STOMP.
“I think about Pap, my dad’s father,” Casey says. “I feel special doing this. I feel good trying to help. I want to help find a cure.”
Alivia echoes Casey’s sentiments. “I walk especially for him,” she says. “I don’t want other kids my age to lose a family member if it can be prevented. Everyone knows someone who has lost their life to cancer.”
While STOMP is a fun-filled day, it also helps create connections.
“The connections are emotional and educational,” Pendred says. “And they are real-life connections. Our students see how they impact our community and the world.”
