School class inspires students' fundraiser

By BEN STORROW Staff Writer

Published on November 27, 2009

Tara Murty, 13, and Grace Findlen-Golden, 14, could have stopped working when class ended. They could have closed their books and returned home to complete their after-school work. The two Amherst Regional Middle School eighth-graders could have stopped after studying for each exam or completing each paper. Nobody would have thought ill of them.

Today, those living with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease, can be thankful the two girls' efforts didn't stop with the sound of the classroom bell. Instead, Tara and Grace embarked on a fundraiser to help find a cure for cystic fibrosis, taking a lesson learned in their seventh-grade science class, applying it to a real-world situation and raising $1,000 for research to find a cure for the disease.

The pair of Amherst residents presented a $1,000 check to a representative of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a nonprofit based outside of Washington, D.C., at the middle school a few weeks ago. The two girls said they hoped the money would help find a cure for the disease.

Erin Palmer, special events coordinator for the Massachusetts chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, was at the meeting to accept the donation from the two students. She said cystic fibrosis can be an especially cruel disease, one that produces a thick mucus that clogs lungs and obstructs the pancreas, preventing natural enzymes from breaking down food. The disease affects some 30,000 Americans nationwide, she noted.

In an interview following the pair's meeting with Palmer, the two girls explained how they came to be interested in the disease.

"We were learning about DNA and how it worked in Ms. Wellborn's science class," Tara said, speaking of her seventh-grade science teacher, Jennifer Wellborn. "We were learning about genetic disorders and Ms. Wellborn was talking about cystic fibrosis because both of your parents have to have it (cystic fibrosis genes) in order for you to get it."

"In science, we started to make DNA out of beads to learn the basics," said Tara. "Then for fun we started to make earrings and key chains."

Soon after the two girls were slaving over their earrings, taking great pains to make sure each bead accurately reflected the make up of DNA. Each earring took at least a half hour to make, they said.

Their hard work paid off over the course of the summer months. Word of their efforts circulated about town after the two set up a table in front of A.J. Hastings in Amherst. By summer's end, they had sold a hundred pair of earrings at $10 each.

Both students said they never imagined that the fundraiser would prove so successful. The experience, they added, provided them with a valuable lesson about school and community service.

"It feels so great because we used what we learned in school to help people who were not in a good situation," Grace said. She said that Wellborn not only gave the girls the supplies to start the project, but had also provided the inspiration for the initiative through her creative teaching style.

Tara echoed that sentiment. "It feels amazing to apply what you learn to make a difference. Ms. Wellborn is putting all this time into teaching us, so it feels great to take that and give back," Tara said.

Wellborn said both young women were excellent students. "I feel very proud of them for applying what they learned to help an important cause," Wellborn said in a recent email. "Tara and Grace are extremely conscientious and thoughtful students, who have high personal standards and work hard to meet those standards. They are also both very community-oriented - thinking of others before themselves."

Palmer said she was impressed by the girls' determination to raise $1,000, a sum the pair were so set on reaching that they refused to make the donation until that mark was met.

Praising the two girls' efforts, Palmer said, "You guys did such a great job. I can't believe this check."

To learn more about the disease and to make a donation, visit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Web site at www.cff.org.