As Groton School Starts A Fundraiser, Charity Hits Close To Home

The children at S.B. Butler Elementary don’t know it, but the money they collected last month will be donated in Scott Horler’s name.

Horler is the husband of Beth Horler, a kindergarten teacher at the school, and he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at almost the same time the school started the “Pennies for Patients” fundraiser, a program by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to help children and adults suffering from blood cancer.

In three weeks, the staff and 354 children at the school collected $2,285.

“We made a commitment to do the fundraiser and what happened was it just hit home,” said Nanette Burdick, a fifth-grade teacher who worked on the effort.

Burdick said Scott Horler is doing well and is undergoing chemotherapy at Yale-New Haven Medical Center. His wife has taken a leave of absence to help him.

Teachers in the Groton Public Schools have also volunteered to help the family from Gales Ferry, by cooking meals each night and delivering them to the house.

During the fundraiser from March 7 to March 24,  each child at Butler was given a box to bring home to collect loose change, then return to school and dump into a larger box in the classrooms.

Children weren’t told about the Horlers, but collected coins from their parents, friends, and in some cases took change from their banks and gave birthday money.

Nora Ryan, a third-grader, can’t pronounce leukemia quite right and said she doesn’t know anyone who’s had it.

She brought in more than $40 she received when she turned 9 on Feb. 20.

“It’s like a sickness,” she said of the illness.

Maggie O’Leary, 8, asked her grandmother for change.

“She gave me a whole bucket of money,” Maggie said.

“I have money at home in a jar I keep,” said Maddie Lynch, 8. “I took most of it out.”

Finn Koehler, 8, was given a turn counting donations from his third grade class.

“It was like, $362 for our class,” he said. “Just in our class.”

Burdick's husband, Bill, visited the school each Friday and brought the jugs of coins to the bank.  Nanette Burdick suggested a goal of $200 for her fifth grade class of 19 students. They almost made it, raising $186.29. She promised them a popcorn party if they reached their goal.

She’s giving it to them anyway.

“I am. I’m giving it to them on the 15^th,” she said.

She said the students understood what they were collecting for, even if they didn’t know the details.

“Once it hits home with children that other children are suffering, they are just so willing to give,” she said. “I’m pretty proud of these kids.”