October 24, 2019

CANCER DRIVE 24 KIDS CARING FOR KIDS: REMEMBERING LAURA COTESTA

Lockerby Cancer Drive Committee under Principal Craig Runciman

• Co-chairs Grade 12 LCS students: Vanessa Cimino and Rayaq Siddiqui

• Student Committee: Dulain Abeyratne, Ava Bard, Kaitlyn Brouillette, Avery Cusson, Sophie Daly, Staysha Kasunich, Jake Priddle, Daniella Lowes, Jordan Malo, Abigail Oshell, Rebecca Sorgini, Kennedy Ward, and Nethra Wickramasinghe

• Teacher Representatives: Ms. S. Benton and Ms. K Rodriguez

• Key Dates:

  • Motivational Pep Rally: 3 October 2019

  • Instructional Assembly: 24 October 2019

  • Cancer Drive: 24 October 2019

  • Thank You Assembly: 25 October 2019

Cancer Drive Evening was filled with the energy of LCS students and staff, generous Sudburians, careful money-counters, and community volunteers. The mood was positive as student Vikings volunteered their time to make a difference for children with cancer in our area. The evening total was $42,000.00, bringing the 24-year total to $984,000.00 

The evening was cool outside, and when the enthusiastic students returned to the school with their donations, and were treated to hot chocolate, pizza, fruit, and snacks.

The Thank You Assembly was a time for celebration and appreciation. Invited guests were generous in their positive comments for Lockerby’s Cancer Committee and the entire student body and staff.

• Tannys Laughren, Executive Director of the Northern Cancer Foundation: “The spirit of the Lockerby Cancer Drive never ceases to amaze me. . . It’s so hard to believe we’re coming up on 25 years of the Cancer Drive . . . We’re very fortunate that Lockerby staff, the Cotesta family, and the Greater Sudbury community continue to show their support for the Cancer Centre’s youngest patients.”

• Anthony Keating, President and DCO of Foundations, HSNVA and HSNVS: “Thank you and congratulations to the staff and students at Lockerby composite School for all their hard work . . . The $42,000 raised is a culmination of their dedication, preparation, and genuine excitement.”

• CTV was in attendance: https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/kids-caring-for-kids-1.4656921 (link to CTV News Video about the Cancer Drive - dated 26 Oct. 2019).

• Ms. Pina Cotesta (Laura’s mother): Thanks to an amazing committee . . . whose enthusiasm and hard work have made this year’s drive a huge success . . . We are thankful and honoured that Sudbury as a community is persistent in supporting our cause and our Cancer Centre, all in the hope that somehow, someday, we will have all the facilities available to keep our children here in Sudbury for all their “medical, social, and emotional care. Laura believed that this campaign could make a difference and now, thanks to you, her dream is becoming an amazing reality for many.”

• Message from the children at the Cancer Centre who wanted to thank LCS for creating an overflowing ocean of kindness from the one drop that Cancer Drive gives their lives each October: Video presentation “Just One Drop.”

Final Words of Inspiration from Co-chair Rayak Siddiqui:

“The atmosphere of Lockerby’s community is truly unforgettable. Not only did we raise such tremendous awareness, but also, we showed who we are as Vikings.”