Seconds after the total was announced, the Rock Springs High School gymnasium erupted to cheers and screams, celebrating the accumulation of more than $75,000 to Make-A-Wish Wyoming.
Students from both Green River and Rock Springs, who had been rivals moments before, hugged and congratulated each other on another successful fundraising campaign. While Rock Springs High School defeated Green River High School by raising $41,534.25 to the Wolves’ $34,783.09, everyone was happy with the result.
“We don’t promote the rivalry as part of Make-A-Wish,” Amanda Santhuff, student council advisor for GRHS said. “The students do that and I think it makes it more fun for them.”
Santhuff and the school promote the annual fundraiser as a community-service project to help children in Wyoming. Make-A-Wish serves children facing life-threatening illnesses, granting wishes such as such being a pop star for a day or meeting a celebrity. According to the Make-A-Wish Wyoming website, the organization has granted more than 550 wishes throughout the state, as well as several in Green River.
Santhuff has been a part of the make a wish fundraisers for 13 of the last 15 years. She said the large sums of money raised in Green River each year come from the community itself, donating at events like the basketball game between the Green River Police Department and Green River Fire Department and the annual dodgeball competition at GRHS.
“More than 75 percent of our money comes from the community and not businesses,” she said. “It’s truly amazing.”
She said the student council spends three weeks planning the various fundraisers, with students involved in the fundraiser events spending several hours outside of school in helping run the events. At the end of fundraising period, after raising tens of thousands of dollars each year, Santhuff admits she feels exhausted. However, the fact the students work so hard to help children in Wyoming keeps her motivated.
“I love it,” she said. “It’s so powerful to see.”
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