Press photos by Dennis Wetherhold Jr. For Whitehall-Coplay Press. Used by permission.

By the Rev. Martha Sipe, St. John, Fullerton

When Kate Murtaugh heard about the devastation that Hurricane Katrina caused along the Gulf Coast, like so many others, she wanted to do something to help. When her congregation had a brainstorming session before worship the following Sunday for ideas on how they could get involved in the disaster relief efforts, Kate had an idea: She would organize a walkathon.

A junior at Whitehall-Coplay High School and a member of St. John Lutheran Church, Fullerton (Whitehall), Kate got to work on the details of her plan right away. She began by writing a letter to the superintendent of the school district, asking him for a meeting to discuss her ideas and propose the use of the school track.

After meeting with the superintendent, the principal, the vice principal, and the director of operations, Kate addressed the entire school board at their meeting. The board was so impressed with her idea that they offered the use of the track without charge.

Kate handled all the other details of the event, too, including developing and distributing the sponsor sheets, soliciting donations from two local grocery stores for snacks, and enlisting the help of her mom and sisters in making baked goods for the event.

Finally, on a sunny Saturday morning in early November, two dozen members and friends from St. John’s gathered at the Whitehall-Coplay track. For three hours they walked and cheered one another on (and listened to the marching band as they practiced), all to raise money for Katrina relief.
For Kate, the most memorable part of the entire event came when she figured out the total miles walked – 83_! “I was shocked that we did such a great job!” she said. The event raised over $1,200.00.

Kate is modest about her efforts. “I think it's very important that we recognize that the church collected tons of other donations through other benefits – like the bake sale and yard sale, for example. This was a whole-congregation effort, and I think we did a fantastic job representing what a big difference a caring, close-knit church can make.”