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After a Carpenters Elementary School fundraiser was rained out in April, the school's employees scrambled to come up with an alternative to help the school raise money.

Leesa Taylor, a rotating physical education and wellness coordinator for Blount County Schools, and John Dalton, the school's assistant principal, decided to have a walkathon fundraiser.

Carpenters Elementary School's walkathon raised nearly $19,500, and another $2,000 to $3,000 in matching donations is expected from ALCOA Inc. and DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee, Taylor said.

"We're shocked (the walkathon) was such a hit. We have received overwhelming support from the community," she said.

Every student's efforts were rewarded with a coupon to Gatti's Pizza. Students who collected the most money were able to earn additional prizes including a Nintendo Wii, television, Nintendo DS, MP3 players, scooters, skateboards, tent, sports equipment and even a trip in a donated limo to Uno Chicago Grill to make pizzas.

Students were very involved in the fundraiser. Miranda Clark and Evey Satterfield finished in third-place with a combined $359. Both girls wanted to win the limo trip and collected donations over a three-day period from about 40 houses.

During an awards assembly for the top fundraisers, Clark and Satterfield waited as the students in front of them made their decisions. "We were up in the bleachers sweating. My legs were shaking," Satterfield said.

The students were very excited they were able to win the trip and this excitement lasted until the trip was over. Not only could both girls hardly sleep Sunday night, but Satterfield told Clark "she was going to die from all the excitement (Monday)."

Teachers were proud of the girl's hard work. "These girls set out from day one to win this. They set a goal and worked towards it. If you want something in life you have to go for it," Taylor said.

The two girls brought three friends with them to Uno. The five girls said the best thing about the prize was riding in the limousine. "Now we can say we've been in a limo," Clark said.

The two girls chose a prize they could share as a group, and they had a good experience. "They will have this memory to last forever," Taylor said.

The students enjoyed the walkathon and the effort paid off. "We thought (the fundraising) was for a good-cause," Satterfield said. "It was (also) good exercise for students who wouldn't normally get much," she said.

The two girls pushed themselves in the actual walkathon as well -- Satterfield ran 8¬½ miles and Clark ran six miles. "Evey ran the whole time and when she got back she was coughing," Clark said. "We thought she was going to pass out," student Hanna Price added.

The walkathon coincided perfectly with the school's physical fitness test and walking works program, Taylor said. The school's wellness program emphasizes making healthy choices and is about "the total mind set of changing routines, lifestyles and eating habits to stop obesity," she said.