St. Mary's Walkathon a success
Apr. 12—GREENSBURG — More than 300 students at St. Mary's Elementary School recently took part in the school's walkathon.
The event took place on Travis' Trail, a newly constructed walking path on the grounds of St. Mary's Elementary. The gravel-paved quarter-mile trail, a photographic stanchion and an outdoor classroom are all part of a tribute to Travis Wenning, a youngster who passed away in 2018 from Burkitt's Lymphoma.
St. Mary's Elementary Principal Nancy Buening talked about the money raised during the event and Travis' Trail.
"This is to benefit the school and we use it for special programs we have for the students, for field trips and for supplies that aren't covered from other events," she said. "Travis' Trail is part of the healing process for all of us, to be part of it. The kids that were with him in Kindergarten and first grade are now third- and fourth-graders, and they have a tractor in the playground with his name on it. That and this trail mean so much to them."
There were leftover funds that the community had gathered to defray the costs of Travis's treatment and final expenses, and Travis' family wanted to use them to benefit the school and the church.
And so Travis' Trail, to be officially christened at a later, date was born.
According to Buening, St. Mary's Elementary teacher Stacey Schutte has been the primary grant writer, procuring additional funds that paid for the stanchion at the mouth of the trail and other necessary items.
"When those things went into place and others saw it, they asked us if there was more they (people in the community) could do," said Buening. "So there will be concrete pads for the benches that are coming, and all the trees planted are native to Indiana. There's a lot going on for Travis. You can tell that it's a work in progress, but it's also a work of heart."
All for a little boy who died too soon.
"You know, that's the thing. You have to take something that is so painful and difficult and turn it around into something good," Buening said. "He touched so many people's lives in the short time he was here, and this will be something that will affect the community and the parish for years to come."
Contact Bill Rethlake at 812-663-3111, ext 217011 or email bill.rethlake@greensburgdailynews.com
