For the past three years, I have looked forward to the month of October.  That is because October is the month in which the Elder Walk for Others is held.

The Elder Walk-A-Thon is an event that raises money for Elder students who need financial aid.  It is also a day in which you walk around the streets for a few hours and get to leave school

 early.  However, before you get to walk around Price Hill with your friends, stopping at various eateries, you and your classmates must reach a certain goal.

Individually, you have to raise a certain amount of money to participate in the walk, and you have to raise the school goal as well.  If we reach our school goal, we are able to choose a school day during the year in which we can take off.

Usually the day that is chosen is the day after the Super Bowl.  We almost always reach our goal and that day is cherished by all Elder students.

This year, we were thrown a change-up.  The Elder Walk for Others is in the month of March.  It is on the second day of March Madness, which is pretty cool because instead of watching basketball during class like usual, we will get to watch it at home, as long as we keep up the pace during the walk.

As good as that sounds, the question arises, how will we get the day after the Super Bowl off?  Well, instead of reaching a goal for the walk at this time of year, we will be trying to raise money for the car raffle.  A car that has been generously donated, will be auctioned off at this year’s Elderama.  So students are now focusing on selling raffle chances for the car instead of finding sponsors for the Elder walk.

I found some Elder students that gave me their thoughts about this sudden change.

I asked senior Michael Wynn what his thoughts on the change were.  He said “I think it’s pretty cool.  Now I get to watch March Madness at my house.”

Senior Sam Poli worries that the car raffle won’t produce as much because people are unfamiliar with it.  He said, “I still haven’t sold any chances yet because my ambitions are different for this event and the walk.” I do feel that most people are on Mr. Poli’s boat.  The unfamiliarity of the car raffle might diminish the effort put in.

I also had a chance to speak with the man that has been the face of the Elder walk since I can remember. Mr. Bill said he has been in charge of the walk since the fall of 2011 and that the walk has been in the fall since 1978.    I asked if he thought that two different fundraisers during the year would hurt the amount of money raised.  Mr. Bill said that “I believe the fundraising prowess and fortitude of the student body will come through for Elder in the end.”

Personally, I will miss walking in October but I’m pretty excited that I could possibly get two days off this year.  So, make sure to sell your raffle chances!