Students from many different shops at Carbon Career and Technical Institute (CCTI) in Jim Thorpe have joined together in a project that will aid the American Cancer Society.

According to CLIU 21 Life Skills teacher Lisa Lux, its called the CCTI 'Bench Project" which was started about five years ago. The project was begun by Corey Smith, a Life Skills student who built a bench in honor of his grandfather who had died from cancer.A common sight in many parks, the benches have side pieces of molded concrete with wooden slats in between, all of which are fabricated and assembled by the CCTI students.It was Corey's idea to build the bench, raffle the tickets, and donate the proceeds to the cancer society (ACS). It was such a success, that after he graduated, CCTI continued the project and involved the whole school."Graphic Design" designs the tickets; "Marketing" makes the tickets and markets them to the public; and the "Life Skills" students work with "Carpentry" to build the bench.Life Skills students James O'Connor and Dennis Deal have made this their senior project.The Bench Project usually raises about a thousand dollars and the entire proceeds are donated to ACS.Teachers of participating CCTI shops include Lisa Lux and Judy Madea, Life Skills; Michelle Klock, Graphic Design; Stephanie Barto, Marketing; and Larry Wolford and Don Kerbaugh, Carpentry.