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St. Pat's student wins car Simon Whitehouse Northern News Services Published Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The Grade 11 St. Patrick High School student was the co-finalist of 12 participants who were seen grasping a light brown 2009 Chevrolet Aveo during the 2012 Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce Spring Trade Show. With Schauerte holding on to the car for a whopping 43 hours and 30 minutes was her friend and fellow St. Patrick High School Grade 11 student Alyx McLean. Because the car could only go to one winner, a final draw had to be conducted, which Schauerte took. "I'm overwhelmed right now, actually," said Schauerte, shaking with delight after the final draw. "It was a really great experience and it all went to a great cause, which is even better. To actually have a set of keys in your hands is a pretty incredible feeling." The students involved, who came from both St. Pat's and Sir John Franklin High School, had spent three and a half weeks leading up to the trade show raising funds for Rotary Club projects. A record $12,648 was raised, largely from pledge forms and door-to-door appeals for money. As part of the Hands of Hope Project, participating students were then given the opportunity to vie for the car provided by YK Motors. Between Friday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3:30 p.m., students dropped off one after another until Schauerte and McLean were left standing. Though McLean came up short, to everyone's surprise, First Air got involved at the last minute to ensure she got a consolation prize. Kim Poulter, corporate sales manager with the airline, announced the runner-up would get a free round trip to Edmonton. "We had discussed with the Rotarians and with Greg at YK Motors that in the event of the draw where one person takes a car, we would like to contribute in some way to celebrate the other person's ability to stay to the bitter end as well," said Poulter. She said YK Motors' initiative really caught the airline's attention and that First Air wanted to help invest in the community in this way. McLean said she would probably hold onto the ticket until the school year ended and then choose the best time to use it in the summer. "It was a great experience," she said, adding the first thing she would do with her freedom was take a shower. "It isn't every day that you go 44 hours without sleep." Other than the two co-finalists, Greg Boucher, owner of YK Motors was quite excited with the challenge as well. He said while the car was probably in the mindset of most of the participants, the opportunity to emphasize community charity among the students was the most positive part of the event. "This is something that we are proud to do," said Boucher. He pointed out this was his third year being involved in the Hands of Hope fundraising project and giving away a car. "These kids are doing something pretty selfless and learning about charity and learning to work and give to others." While Schauerte and McLean were the ones who hung on to the end, the top fundraisers were Grade 11 student Cheyenne Lafferty and Grade 12 student Ezekiel Debogorski, both of St. Pat's. The two raised $2,800 and $2,400 respectively.
Fundraisers for hands of hope challenge
Brandon Pellerin - three hours, 10 mins
Source: Hands of Hope challenge
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