News : Tilford students, staff raise more than $10,000 for custodian John Scriven

These Tilford teachers celebrated the $10,000 students helped raise for custodian John Scriven.

Tilford fund-raiser organizers count the ballots to see which staff member will kiss the pig.

The pig-kissing will have to wait until 2013, but the students and staff at Tilford Elementary have more than ten thousand reasons to celebrate the success of the fund-raiser for custodian John Scriven.

Although they set a goal of $7,000, the students and staff raised more than $10,000 for Scriven to help him cover medical expenses for his cancer treatment.

The students had planned to celebrate the success with an assembly at which a staff member selected by students who had helped raise at least $25 for Scriven voted for which adult they wanted to see kissing the pig.

More than $2,8000 came in on Wednesday, the last day of the fund-raiser. Nearly 100 students brought in at least $50 and earned a free T-shirt. More than 200 students brought in enough money to earn a bracelet.

The school's effort to help the Scrivens began small. At first the students made baskets for them. The staff members then volunteered to rake leaves, cook Thanksgiving dinner and plow their driveway and sidewalk.

But then several teachers decided the school should try to do more, and the fund-raising campaign began. Students sought donations from friends and relatives; one group of girls organized a bake sale. Tharp Design and ClickStop helped with sponsorship donations. The milestones passed quickly; by Wednesday morning, the students had already surpassed the $7,000 goal.

Because classes were cancelled on Friday, the assembly, which will include the pig-kissing will be rescheduled for sometime in January.