Carleton Place, Ont. school is top fundraiser in Canada for 'Jump Rope for Heart'
St. Gregory's Catholic Elementary School in Carleton Place, Ont. is the top fundraising school in Canada for the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Jump Rope for Heart campaign this year.
Ending this coming Friday, St. Gregory has raised more than $23,000 in the past month for Heart and Stroke.
"That is incredible," says Stephanie Brownlee, a Grade 2 teacher at St. Gregory and the school's organizer of Jump Rope for Heart.
"We're so thankful to have such a generous community. We never expected that; we were just doing it for the fun of getting outside and doing some physical activity."
This year's event is the first in-person jump rope event in three years due to the pandemic, and the teacher's at this kindergarten to Grade 3 school were surprised at how well the students jumped right in.
"Some knew how to skip, some didn't know how to skip," Brownlee tells CTV News. "So we've been watching videos on learning to skip, we used hula hoops to start; we come outside and practiced every day."
A motivating factor in the school's success may be the personal connection to Heart and Stroke this year.
"I told the kids my story," says St. Gregory principal Paula Perrault, "which is that my husband had a stroke a year ago, so it's kind of personal and many of them identified who they're jumping for. Some of them are jumping for my husband Bob and some are jumping for family members, grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles."
"They knew that we were helping people directly," adds Brownlee. "It wasn't just, we're doing something that they couldn't see."
The school is made up of just under 500 students, all kindergarten to Grade 3, making the feat being top in the country for fundraising even more impressive.
"It's great that the kids are highlighted for what they've done and they've put in a lot of effort into learning how to jump," says Perrault. "And they've made that personal connection that they're jumping for somebody."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
2 charged after police find 'concerning and diverse' explosives at Manitoba home
Winnipeg police say they have arrested two people in their 20s after a large amount of explosives were found in a home outside of Winnipeg, Man.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Spain abolishes national bullfighting award in cultural shift
Spain scrapped an annual bullfighting award on Friday, prompting a rebuke from conservatives over a backlash against a centuries-old tradition they see as an art form but which has run into growing concern for animal welfare.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.