From left: St. Perpetua School students Noah Sampson, William Johnston, Christopher Ruane, Owen VanStralen, Jack Flitter, Kieran Mein and Matthew Sexton. Photo provided

In mid-October, 65 students and their families from St. Perpetua School in Lafayette hiked beautiful Mount Diablo to help the homeless in Contra Costa County. With the intention of "giving back" to their community, one of the core foundations of the school, this dedicated group of parents and kids of all ages participated in the annual Hike for SHELTER. The event is run every year by SHELTER Inc., an organization working to raise awareness and money to help combat the problem of homelessness, faced by 7,500 people in the county.
The fourth Hike for SHELTER event was held Oct. 19, with participants setting out from Macedo Ranch in Danville. In just one day, 225 hikers and 1,500 donors helped raise over $117,000 in donations. Through hiking, volunteering and donations the St. Perpetua community alone raised over $35,000 of that money.
St. Perpetua parent Chris Flitter works with SHELTER Inc. and this year inspired her school's hard working community of teachers, parents and students to accomplish this impressive goal. She says by giving these people the financial support they need, this year's event will help to change the lives of many in the county.
The Hike for SHELTER is just one of the many events the close and compassionate community of St. Perpetua rallies for every year. Through the school's Mission Effectiveness program they will again partner with SHELTER Inc. for two more events this school year. With this program St. Perpetua strives to make a difference in the lives of those in their community and teach students the simple value of giving back.
In a letter of thanks to St. Perpetua families and friends Chris Flitter congratulated her fellow parents on their achievement and contribution to SHELTER Inc.
"You gave your children the message of what it means to be a true hero," she said.
Parents of soon-to-be kindergarteners are invited to attend the next Taste of Kindergarten event on Friday, Dec. 13 at St. Perpetua School. Come for coffee at the CafÇ before 8:45 a.m., followed by conversations with school staff and a visit to the kindergarten classroom from 9 to 10 a.m. Space is limited, pre-registration required at http://stperpetua.org/domain/111. Contact school development director Natalie Deininger for more information: ndeininger@csdo.org.

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