The last time she starved herself for 24 hours, Megan Warren doesn鈥檛 even remember being hungry.
She was a little younger then, taking part in a fast-a-thon at the Jasper Junior/Senior High School to help raise money for charity.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 find it very difficult,鈥� Warren, now in Grade 11, admitted following the high school鈥檚 peer support group鈥檚 meeting, Feb. 20.
Warren, along with the rest of the peer support group, is holding a similar event this year.
According to group member Ashton Hefner, the peer support group is 鈥渁 group of kids who come here every week and, with the help of community members, like the firefighters and bylaw officers, become strong leaders in helping our fellow classmates, people who go to our school, and even people in our communities and families.鈥�
On Feb. 20, about a dozen of the group鈥檚 kids lounged in a high school classroom, planning the final aspects of the fast-a-thon fundraiser.
Starting Feb. 28 at noon, a group of students from the school will gorge themselves at a giant potluck lunch, and not eat again until noon the next day.
To avoid temptation, the students will lock themselves in the high school overnight, occupying their time with movies, board games, painting and other activities.
Since the event is a fundraiser, each participating student has collected pledges, and all the money collected will go toward one local and one international charity.
The group says its goal is to raise a total of $2,000, which it will split between the Jasper Ladies Hospital Auxiliary鈥檚 ultrasound fund, and the Global Enrichment Foundation鈥檚 school lunch program in Somalia.
Elena Kellis said she was inspired to take part in the fundraiser after learning the story of Amanda Lindhout, the founder of the enrichment foundation. Lindhout was held captive in Somalia for more than a year, and when she finally escaped she started the foundation to help people like those who held her captive.
鈥淲ithin a year she had this foundation running. She showed such compassion and I think it鈥檚 good that we鈥檙e supporting that, that we鈥檙e bringing attention to it,鈥� Kellis said.
Jase Blake has been a part of the peer support group since last year. He said he鈥檚 doing the fundraiser 鈥渘ot just because it鈥檚 going to be fun to stay in the school all night, but because it will all be for a good cause.鈥�
鈥淚 like the idea that all the money is going to a good place,鈥� he said
Warren is the only member of the group who has done the fast-a-thon previously, and she remembered having a blast, even if she was younger than everyone else at the time.
As she recalled her experiences watching horror movies in the library late into the night, her peers jumped in with their predictions for this year鈥檚 event.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 going to be fun cause we鈥檙e all really good friends,鈥� exclaimed Kellis.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going to get halfway through and be like, 鈥榦h my God I鈥檓 so hungry,鈥� Katelyn Garton joked in response.
But, however the night goes, the students said they will be proud to have contributed to a couple of good causes.
Trevor Nichols
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