Carson High School senior raises more than $4,000 for charity organization

For her Senior Project, Natalie Bergstrom, 18, of Carson High School, held a fundraiser in benefit of the breast cancer fund for the Carson Tahoe Cancer Resource Center.

Her goal was to raise $1,000. After hitting that within a few weeks, she increased it to $4,000. By the end of her project, she had raised $4,517.

"I was extremely surprised that my fundraiser brought in that much money," she said. "As only one person, I didn't think it was possible to raise much more over $1,000."

Bergstrom sold raffle tickets for free dinners at various restaurants. She first had to ask restaurants to donate the meals. Winners received meals for two at seven restaurants. The winners drawn March 31 were Alice Magdaleno, Carol Moore and Phil O'Neill.

"There were numerous people that wrote $100 or $150 checks just because they thought my project was neat," she said. "One breast cancer survivor happened to see one of my fliers and ended up helping me sell dozens of tickets to her co-workers."

Bergstrom is a member of Stand Tall Don't Fall, the alcohol-awareness group at Carson High, and the National Honor Society.

"I have learned that one person really can make a difference and I didn't know how true that was before my fundraiser," she said. "Despite the hard work involved, I would not hesitate to do other fundraising efforts should the opportunity arise. It was a very rewarding experience."

New lights, a lighter electric bill

The electric bill at Eagle Valley Middle School is expected to drop by $2,604 annually due to new fluorescent lights installed in the gym. A $13,500 grant from Sierra Pacific Power Co. funded replacement of the metal halide lights in the gym with energy-efficient fluorescent lights, which are estimated to use approximately 48 percent less electricity.

The grant was given through Sierra Pacific's "Sure Bet for Schools" program, which provides funding for energy-efficient improvements in Northern Nevada schools. About $270,000 will be given through the program this year. For information, call Karl Walquist at 834-3891.

Jester Jog run raised more than $8,000

The exact figure remains to be determined, but the April 1 Jester Jog Fun Run, which included a quarter-mile walk for children, a two-mile run and a 10K run, is estimated to have raised between $8,000-$10,000 for the Children's Museum of Northern Nevada.

"The turnout for the Jester Jog was fantastic, considering the cold and a dusting of snow," said Erin Lehman, interim executive director for the museum. "The kids' fun run tripled in size this year, and the rest of the race categories stayed about the same."

Operating costs of the museum, which runs on sponsorships and donations, is about $10,000 a month. The Jester Jog is one of the museum's largest fundraisers.

"I'm really happy to see the family attendance rising because I like to stress the importance of families doing activities together, plus it encourages healthy lifestyles and adds fitness back into our daily routines as a family," Lehman said.

Some of the sponsors of Jester Jog, like Piñon Plaza, have been involved with the race for years. Other sponsors include Fleet Feet Sports and the Sagebrush Stompers. Anyone interested in the Children's Museum of Northern Nevada can go to www.cmnn.org. The Carson City facility is one of just two children's museums in Nevada.

"We look forward to another successful Jester Jog in 2007, and encourage those who missed it this year to mark their calendars now," Lehman said. "Maybe it will be a sunny day next year."

On a sidenote, Becky Bosshart the business reporter at the Nevada Appeal, received a second-place medal in the 10K run for her age group. But she refuses to wear her medal around the office.

Fallon nursing lab can expect improvements

The nursing program at Western Nevada Community College was once again the recipient of a donation. Nevada Rural Hospital Partners and the Nevada Hospital Association donated $4,000 each for equipment, computer hardware and software for WNCC's Fallon nursing lab, which accepts eight students into its program each year.

• Contact reporter Maggie O'Neill at moneill@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.