Mount Si High School digital arts teacher Joe Dockery hosted his annual “pennies for pushups” drive and raised $700.68 for the Valley Relay for Life with six of his classes from June 1 to 4; his classes surpassed their $500 goal and completed 29,052 push-ups and sit-ups.

Dockery has hosted the drive, as a part of Key Club, to benefit the Relay, that’s been a part of the Valley for more than a decade. He matches donated pennies for pushups, averaging more than 100 a day.

All of the proceeds are donated to the Relay, but he said the drive’s also a chance to continue the conversation about healthy living, a key factor in battling cancer.

He said the first day of pushups is always a rough adjustment, but as the week goes on, he, and the students, find their strength.

“Cancer patients don’t get a break when they aren’t feeling well,” Dockery said, and with that in mind he and his class, “push through.”

Dockery’s mother, sister and father were all diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives, which he said fueled his passion for raising Relay funds.

When he asked his students if they knew anyone affected by cancer, five students immediately recalled close family friends and relatives who were battling or lost to the illness.

The sixth-period class won the competition for raising the most donations. They will receive 36 pints of ice cream for a party courtesy of Lopez Island Creamery.

Dockery said, “In any competition, it’s nice to have a goal, and an ice cream party is a pretty significant goal for a high school student” – or anyone really.

To contribute to or match donations send Dockery email at dockeryj@svsd410.org.

Relay for Life Snoqualmie Valley is July 11 at North Bend’s Torguson Park. For information, visit www.snovalleyrelay.org.