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RIVERTON — Every year, student body officers at Riverton High School select a charity for their donations, and the annual Silver Rush is on. The event is a tradition that goes back a long time, and this year, in a sign of the times we live in, there's a new twist.
Walk into Riverton High any time in December, and there's a good chance you'll see senior Joshua Claflin and his jug.
"It's every day," Claflin said. "Getting up early in the morning, get to school; then during school we're walking around with our jugs, collecting money."
It's Silver Rush time at the home of the Silver Wolves, and the student body president is looking for charity money.
"During the month, there's definitely time when you hate it. You're just like, ‘Why am I doing this?'" Claflin said. "But when you get to the closing assembly, and you see the banner drop, and you realize what you've done, it's just completely worth it."
Every year, student body officers pick a charity that will benefit from all of this. This year, special needs children and adults will get money for wheelchairs.
"Wheelchairs are expensive. They can be a couple thousand (dollars) to $30,000 apiece," explained student body advisor Katie Borgmeier.
This year, there's something new with the Silver Rush: a student at the school developed an app to raise money for the charity.
"I thought, how nice would it be to be able to go to an app and just call that up right here?" said creator Jeff Lewis.
The Silver Rush app gives news about the drive and how you can donate. It's been a popular download.
"We actually just broke 400 (downloads) yesterday, so we're over 400 after just two days of Silver Rush," Lewis said.
A basketball tournament raises some money, and so does an ugly sweater contest. Country music singer Collin Raye is even giving a concert at the school next week.
Last year students raised more than $100,000 — a new record. But students know there's no pressure this year to beat that record.
"If we don't beat the goal, it's fine," Claflin said. "It would be awesome to, but we're not really focused on money. It's in the difference we make."
The Silver Rush has become so popular and so big, 20 charities asked for help this year. Already, Borgmeier said she's getting requests for next year.
