CHEERLEADERS WORK TO TAKE PART IN TRIP TO HAWAII

You could call it a labor of love.

The four senior members of Jackson High School's cheerleading squad have been found recently bagging groceries, working in restaurants, selling drawing tickets and doing just about anything possible to raise the $8,000 they'll need to join other cheerleaders from around the nation during the halftime at the annual Aloha Bowl college football game. The game will take place on Christmas Day and will be televised from Honolulu, Hawaii.

Andrea Mouser, Joni Boyer, Sara Randol and Misty Ream are excited about the prospect of spending Christmas in Hawaii. The three were invited to take part in the trip during a National Cheerleading Association camp held at Southeast Missouri State University during the summer.

"During the camp, all of the senior cheerleaders were told that they were invited to go to different events like the Aloha Bowl and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," said Mouser. "We thought going to Hawaii during Christmas would be more fun than any of the other trips we could have gone on."

"It will definitely be the trip of a lifetime," she said, excitedly.

The four Jackson seniors are scheduled to leave from St. Louis' Lambert International Airport and from there they'll fly to Dallas, Los Angeles and on to Hawaii.

Of the four, Randol and Mouser have never flown in an airliner; they have dibs on window seats on the flight.

The trip to Hawaii won't be all fun and games, they say.

"I think during the whole time we'll be there, we'll only have about one hour of free time each day," said Sara Randol, who is captain of the Jackson cheerleading squad.

Randol said much of each day during the trip will be spent rehearsing the Aloha Bowl halftime show with other cheerleaders from across the nation, as well as the other performers who will make up the halftime crew.

Of course, all of these plans hinge on whether the four are able to raise the money they'll need to make the trip.

Of the needed $8,000, the cheerleaders have been able to raise about half the required money. The funds will be used to pay for a week-long stay at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, as well as to cover air fare, food, uniforms and game tickets.

Thus far, the four have done such work as bag groceries at the Town and Country Supermarket and Schaper's IGA in Jackson, have passed out bread sticks at Fazoli's in Cape Girardeau and sold raffle tickets during Jackson Indians home football games.

In addition, the four have gone door to door throughout the city asking businesses and individuals to sponsor them on their trip.

The cheerleaders agree that the community has been very supportive of their efforts and say that parents and others have done such things as assist them in selling raffle tickets during the football games. However, they still have several thousand dollars to go before meeting their goal.

"We've been working non-stop but we've got a long way to go, too," said Mouser. "But we'll make it."

The young women will be hosting a benefit car wash Oct. 29 in the parking lot of the Jackson Wal-Mart.

Anyone wishing to donate to the effort or offer a fund-raising idea may contact Mouser at 243-4964.