PTA begins planning Fall Fun Run

In the fall, our children won’t ask Grandma and Grandpa (and other friends and relatives) to buy wrapping paper, jewelry or anything else to support the school.

Instead children can ask those who care about them to invest in their health, in their school spirit and in the opportunities the PTA provides them.

The PTA membership voted Thursday to replace the annual fall product sale with a fun run for the 2011-12 school year.

“The way I see it, it’s a healthy opportunity to have fun, it gets the kids involved with helping their school and, I think, it will develop school spirit,” PTA President Barb Peterson said. “Things happen with this that don’t happen with a product sale.”

The fun run, she said, allows every child to feel involved because every child takes part on the day of the event regardless of whether he or she collects pledges or how much money the child raises.

The Get Movin’ Crew, a Michigan-based firm, will handle much of the planning and organization for the event — from a kick-off pep rally in which the kids will meet Movin’ Max the mascot to running the fun run itself. 

On run day, the crew will lay out a track in the grass near the school, set the mood with fun music, lead each grade level through warm-up exercises and encourage the children to move around the track for 20 minutes. Kids are welcome to run, jog, walk, skip, hop, mosey — or just about anything else they can think of, provided it’s safe. When they’re done, they’ll take a cool-down lap and enjoy a Fla-Vor-Ice before heading back to class.

Each child — regardless of whether they collect pledges — will receive a pedometer to keep and encouragement to take 10,000 steps a day. They’ll also receive a number like a racer bib to wear during the run and that can be affixed to a memory sheet that asks children to record their favorite memory from the day and to make note of a new healthy habit they plan to adopt.

The PTA leadership began considering a change in the fall fundraiser several months ago when the parent volunteers who had run the product sale announced they were stepping down.

Given that the sale had generated nearly half of the PTA’s revenue — about $9,000 on average in recent years and $11,885 this year — the executive committee sought input from the membership and the parent community at large. A survey conducted in early April indicated parental support for a fun run and a strong opportunity to involve families that have not participated in the product sales. For a look at key results from the survey, click here.

Before the vote Thursday, the fun run received endorsements both from teachers in attendance and from Principal Brian LeCrone.

“We’re moving that direction as a school, as far as the health and wellness aspect,” he said. “I, personally, would love to see a fun run.”

The fun run was approved unanimously by the members present Thursday.

The PTA’s Executive Committee has proposed a budget anticipating $9,000 in net revenue from the fall fundraiser. They estimate we will reach that goal if 60 percent of Brookdale families collect pledges and raise an average of $60.

 Barb Peterson and Ron Heger have volunteered to coordinate the fun run.