Two wild and crazy - girls?

BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register

Travis Atwater and Allen Balch are two wild and crazy guys who aren't afraid to have some fun to help out a good cause.

The 10-year-old friends, in Grade 5 at St. Mary's school in Aylesford, recently hosted their own fundraiser to assist a Berwick family with medical expenses. Five-year-old Nicholas Oickle, who was supposed to start Primary at Berwick school this fall, has instead been at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children since mid-August, when he underwent a bone marrow transplant. His big brother, Blye, was the donor.

Since Nicholas's sudden and life-threatening diagnosis of aplastic anemia, family, friends and the community-at-large have come together to help the family with considerable medical and travel expenses associated with Nicholas's lengthy hospital stay in Ontario.

Travis's mom, Karen Atwater, says her son and his friend became aware of the plight of Nicholas and his family when they attended a local fundraiser hosted by Allen's parents. "They don't know Nicholas, but they felt that they should do something to help out," says Karen. She admits she didn’t think too much of the boys' discussion until St. Mary's principal Sarah Tessier called her. "She wanted to know if I knew what the boys were planning."

Tessier explained Allen and Travis had asked her for permission to approach fellow students to donate spare change to the Oickle family. They promised they would do "something crazy" to encourage their peers to get involved.

After discussing some options, which included hair-dying, the boys decided they would dress up as girls and perform a dance for each class to keep their end of the bargain. True to their word, the pair donned wigs, makeup, dresses, pantyhose and high-heeled shoes for their September 12 fundraiser.

Their efforts raised a total of $251.75 for the Oickle family. "I couldn't be more proud," says Karen of the boys' idea to help out a family they don't even know. "It really serves as a great example for all of us."