Kingsport pre-school surpasses two goals for St. Jude Trike-A-Thon

Anslee Daniel
·2 min read

KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL)- A Kingsport pre-school has raised over $7,500 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through its Trike-A-Thon this year.

Mountain View Methodist Day School’s original goal was $1,200 but that was surpassed so it was upped to $5,000 before feet even hit the pedals. As of Thursday evening, it’s been upped again to $10,000.

The mission hits home for the school as two of its students have been treated for cancer at the St. Jude facility in Memphis.

“The parents have been wonderful, posting it on social media, making videos, raising support,” said school director Sharon Ervin. “We have exceeded any kind of goal we would have expected, and we’re just so excited for the amount of support we’ve gotten.”

Five-year-old Hunter Pendleton was diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer two years ago. He’s now in remission and goes back for scans.

“It was just an incredible opportunity for him to unfortunately go through, but they took care of us 100%,” said his mom, Andrea Pendleton. “We always had something to eat, we always had a place to stay, we always had things to do and we couldn’t have asked for a better situation.”

“It brings back memories for us of just the moment whenever you find out. It’s the toughest moment you’ve got,” said Hunter’s dad, Matthew Pendleton. “I think whenever you really look at this, you never know who it could happen to or when it could happen and the fact that they’re willing to support is just incredible.”

Now, two-year-old Collins Turner is several months into her two-and-a-half-year treatment plan for B-cell acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She goes to Memphis every other month and receives treatment at the Johnson City affiliate in the meantime.

“It’s awesome, the support and we appreciate it so much and know that every dollar comes back to Collins and children just like her,” said her mom, Elizabeth Turner.

SEE MORE: Kingsport day school to hold St. Jude Trike-A-Thon after two students impacted by cancer

Her class wore their “Team Collins” shirts for the Trike-A-Thon.

There’s still time to donate. Cash and checks will be accepted at the school through Monday. Donations can also be made online here.

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