PHOTOS: Sarnia Y Push the Bus helps raise $20K for day campers

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PHOTOS Sarnia Y Push the Bus helps raise 20K for

They came, they pushed, they conquered.

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Some 28 teams gathered Friday in the parking lot of the YMCA Jerry McCaw Family Center in Sarnia for its third Push the Bus fundraiser.

A team from the Sarnia Professional Firefighters Association were the winners.

It helped the Sarnia YMCA reach its goal of raising $20,000 for the Fill the Bus campaign that collects donations to help send children from low-income families to YMCA summer day camps.

About 150 kids a week, ages four to 12, attend Y summer day camp in Sarnia.

Paul Skuza, general manager at the Y’s Jerry McCaw Family Center, came up with the idea of ​​having teams compete to push a school bus across the center’s parking lot as a fundraiser.

Several Y and community teams competed in the first year and raised more than $2,000. “So, it was a small but mighty event,” Skuza said previously. “It created some buzz.”

Push the Bus grew to about 20 teams last year and this summer it spread to the YMCA in Chatham-Kent.

This year’s event in Sarnia was tournament style with two teams competing by pushing side-by-side buses, provided by Langs, in heats.

Some teams came dressed in matching T-shirts and hats, and a few showed up in costume.

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Paul Skuza, general manager of the YMCA in Sarnia, welcomes teams Friday to his Push the Bus fundraiser. (Paul Morden/The Observer) Photo by Paul Morden /The Observer
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Cory Leblanc, owner of Initia Real Estate, takes part Friday in the Sarnia-Lambton YMCA Push the Bus fundraiser. (Paul Morden/The Observer) Photo by Paul Morden /The Observer
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Kathy Mauger leads a warmup Friday at the Sarnia-Lambton YMCA Push the Bus fundraiser. (Paul Morden/The Observer) Photo by Paul Morden /The Observer
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Denisa Cholasta, left, and Beth George-Watson dressed up as pepper and salt to take part in a Community Living Sarnia-Lambton team Friday at the Sarnia-Lambton YMCA Push the Bus fundraiser. (Paul Morden/The Observer) Photo by Paul Morden /The Observer
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Mike Hurry and a Rotary Club team takes part Friday in the Sarnia-Lambton YMCA Push the Bus fundraiser. (Paul Morden/The Observer) Photo by Paul Morden /The Observer
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From left, Sherri McClellan, Sheila McDonough, Jenny de Miranda, Gail Nisbet and Stella McKay, members of The YGalz, a team of YMCA staff and members, dressed up to complete in Friday’s Push the Bus fundraiser at the YMCA Jerry McCaw Family Center in Sarnia. (Paul Morden/The Observer) Photo by Paul Morden /The Observer
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Dave Giffin helped an EMA team compete Friday at the Push the Bus fundraiser at the YMCA Gerry McCaw Family Center in Sarnia. (Paul Morden/The Observer) Photo by Paul Morden /The Observer

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