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Keith McCord ReportingEvery school year, we hear about student fund-raising projects to help pay for various activities, such as field trips, band uniforms or the prom.
The students at Olympus Junior High have come together to help a member of the school staff in need of some help. Their efforts are impressive, but there's still a lot work to be done.
Terry Birch is the custodian at Olympus Junior High. Because of medical problems as an infant, Terry is totally deaf in one ear and has very marginal hearing in the other.
Terry Birch: "Because I've lost so much hearing, making it really difficult to communicate with people."
For our interview, we wrote our questions on a big board to make it easier for him to understand. To improve his hearing, Terry needs a cochlear implant, a costly surgery. At home, his wife, also deaf, recently had breast cancer surgery. Two of his children are hearing impaired. The medical bills are big.
So the students at Olympus came up with a plan to collect donated items to sell in an online auction. They sent out 1,200 letters to their favorite celebrities and sports stars. Now they have boxes of stuff.
Want an autographed photo of the professor on "Gilligan's Island" or tennis star Roger Federer? Steve Young autographed a football. Magic Johnson sent a basketball. Sting signed his name to a CD.
Students Will Gochnour, Kai Noa and Emily Blackham are thrilled with the response!
Will Gochnour: "We thought we'd get some stuff back, but never expected all this, this much. We expected pictures, but not footballs and basketballs. Just expected smaller stuff."
The items are being sold on eBay through May 26th. All proceeds will go to Terry, who is extremely grateful.
Terry Birch: "To me it's unbelievable that the jr. high wants to help me out, doing what they want to do it's unbelievable."
The students have raised $23,000 so far. They hope a bidding war brings in a lot more.
