Bobcat BLAST fun run offers healthy way to raise money

Who’s ready to have a blast?

The Brookdale PTA is launching a new event this fall that aims to get everyone moving and having fun.

The Bobcat BLAST fun run, on Friday, Sept. 23, will take students out of their daily routine for a time to run, walk, skip, hop or otherwise move around with their classmates.

The BLAST serves many purposes for the PTA. It encourages healthy behavior, joining events like Red Ribbon Week and Jump Rope for Heart. It encourages school spirit. And it’s a fundraiser we hope will make parents’ lives easier.

The event replaces the annual fall product sale that has been our major fundraiser in years past. Rather thank asking families to sell and deliver products, we are asking families to collect pledges for their students’ participation.

Movin' Max greets Brookdale students
at the launch of the Bobcat BLAST
pledge period. Max and the Get Movin'
Crew return on Friday, Sept. 23, for the
 fun run .

Students can encourage friends and relatives near and far to invest in their health and their education. Our event organizer, the Original Get Movin’ Crew, makes online pledging simple. Check out the Parents Page at www.thegetmovincrew.com.

But the great thing about this event is that every student participates on the day of the fun run. Each student can have a BLAST with their friends and, at the same time, be an active participant in an event that raises money for their school. Acquiring pledges is not mandatory to participate in the fun run. (But we urge every student/family to contribute something because we know every little bit counts!)

So, what is a fun run?

During school on Friday, Sept. 23, students will spend 40 minutes at the Bobcat BLAST! The time includes a fun warmup led by the Get Movin’ Crew, followed by time to run, jog or walk with friends and classmates. Afterward, students will have a few minutes to cool down before returning to class.

All students — regardless of whether they’ve collected pledges — will receive participation souvenirs. They will be given 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.

Students brought home a pledge packet on Thursday, Sept. 1, following the kick-off pep rally on Walk to School Day. Through pledges and donations, the BLAST will provide funding for PTA-sponsored assemblies, field trips, class parties, the Variety Show, special in-class programs, educational supplies and more.