Preschool event benefits charity

MARLBORO — Students in prekindergarten, preschool and kindergarten at the Turtle Creek Learning Academy rode their bicycles in a trike-a-thon charity benefit on April 30 and May 1. Charity events at Turtle Creek have become an annual tradition every April as part of Month of the Young Child.

This year, the charity Turtle Creek has selected is Arms Wide Open, a local charity founded by Dena Sherwood of Marlboro.

Sherwood, whose daughter, Sydney, attended Turtle Creek Learning Academy, founded the charity in 2008 after her infant son, Billy, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of childhood cancer.

At the trike-a-thon, Turtle Creek students raised $1,235 to support Arms Wide Open, which will be used to provide financial and emotional support to families of critically ill children, and to fund medical research for pediatric cancers.

"When we celebrate Month of the Young Child, we not only applaud how wonderful our children are, but we celebrate all of their gifts, including their unique gift of giving back," said Virginia McDonald, the owner and executive director of Turtle Creek Learning Academy.

"Many people mistakenly believe that young children cannot grasp the concept of helping others, but here at Turtle Creek, we have found that our young students have tremendous compassion. They simply need to be involved directly in order to understand that there are others in need in our community," she said.

In the past, students at Turtle Creek have participated in various community service projects, including hop-a-thons, canned food drives, giving trees for homeless children and more.

In October 2008, shortly after Billy Sherwood was diagnosed, the Turtle Creek family also helped to sponsor a "Walk for Baby Billy" that raised more than $35,000.