Students Help ‘Wounded Warrior’ Program

SNOW HILL -- For the first time ever, Pocomoke High School (PHS) participated in a “Wounded Warrior” fundraising event, bringing in $1,375.

Officials at the school said they were happy with the results and expect the project to continue in the years to come.

“We were very pleased with the amount that we raised,” said Principal Annette Wallace.

With just over 300 students, PHS is much smaller than some other county high schools, which meant that raising the nearly $1,400 was a challenge. But the community stepped up to the plate, according to PHS Athletic Trainer Kim Baker.

“It was definitely a community effort … everybody just came together,” she said.

Baker originally came up with the idea to host a Wounded Warrior fundraiser at PHS last spring and approached Wallace with it at the time. As its name implies, Wounded Warrior is an organization that helps military veterans who were injured in the defense of the country.

After hearing Baker’s idea, Wallace said the school was quick to act.
“Any time we get the chance to honor our servicemen and women we will,” she said.

The fundraiser took place at a field hockey event earlier this month, when the PHS Warriors competed against the Easton Warriors in the aptly named “Warrior versus Warrior” game. During the game, ribbons were purchased by attendees in honor of friends, family, and loved ones in the military. Those ribbons were then attached to the 124 American flags arranged around the stadium. Additionally, everything from baked goods to balloons to special blue and yellow student dog tags were sold with the proceeds going towards the fundraiser.

“For a small school like this, it was huge,” said Baker.

Some in the community took a very active roll, like Hardwire, which donated $1 for every like the event earned them on their Facebook page. Hardwire, a company which develops armor for combat vehicles, also brought one of their projects to the school for display during the game.

The entire event culminated into a memorable experience, said Baker, with the show choir singing the national anthem and the community enthusiastically in support.

“We sometimes forget that freedom isn’t free,” said Wallace. “It comes at a high cost.”

PHS is already brainstorming ways to make the fundraiser “bigger and better” next year, according to Baker, who hopes to participate in Wounded Warrior for many years to come.