Clarion Dance and Tumbling collects 600 items for food drive

For many, December is a time for giving and giving back. Children at the Clarion Dance and Tumbling Academy led the way this month—the 150 students collected an even 600 items to donate to Upper Des Moines Area Opportunity in Eagle Grove over the past few weeks.

Alecia Runia, co-director for the dance school, said they regularly do fun contests and competitions with students, but they didn’t really want them competing with each other through the holidays. Instead, they had students bring items for the food drive, and for each one, they have a chance for their name to be drawn for a gift. “We definitely got more than we originally expected,” Runia said. “They just ran with it.”

For each item, the kids also got to add a link to a paper chain that graced the wall of the dance studio. “That was a really neat thing because they got to watch it grow,” said Christina Johnson, Clarion Dance and Tumbling owner.

The food drive was Runia’s idea. Between her, Johnson, and Monica Hamm, the drive was planned and executed, with all items being brought in by December 22. The kids, however, did all the collecting. “They did a phenomenal job,” Johnson said.

For more local news, see the December 30 edition of the Monitor.