From now until the end of January, Milton School math teacher Marianne DiSalvo is rounding up donors for her annual Math-A-Thon drive to raise $5,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

From now until the end of January, Milton School math teacher Marianne DiSalvo is rounding up donors for her annual Math-A-Thon drive to raise $5,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Her campaign has raised over $40,000 since she began the yearly drive in 2009.

Notwithstanding its name, St. Jude, is not affiliated with any religious organization. DiSalvo’s dedication to St. Jude’s began when she was a child.

The hospital has an annual drive that includes the distribution of Common Core-compliant math workbooks with versions for each grade. In the early years, students began the project with donations matched to the number of math problems completed, but that got to be overly complex. Now, most students receive a single donation from parents and others.

Whatever form a donation takes, the drive definitely spurs interest in math. “The kids love the workbooks. They beg me to let them work on them,” said DiSalvo. 

St. Jude’s, which has a branch in New York City, treats children with catastrophic illnesses, regardless of ability to pay. If you wish to boost the Math-A-Thon drive with a donation, contact Marianne DiSalvo at disalvom@ ryeschools.org. 

— Sarah Varney