By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
A thumping bass and delighted screams echoed downs the halls of Hannah Crawford Elementary School Friday morning and it was all for a good cause.
Students in kindergarten through fifth grade ran laps in the elementary gymnasium to the sounds of upbeat music and the cheers from parents and teachers. The laps were not just a way to blow off excess energy, though – it was a part of Boosterthon’s Little Eagles Fun Run, a nine-day, pledge-based program where students honored pledges with the number of laps they ran during the event.
Fifth-grader Ayden Neville said he raised money through the help of his family members, which pushed him to the top of his class in fundraising. His class, taught by Cassandra Jones, was also the top-performing class in the school by raising roughly $86 per lap.
“I love it. It’s awesome,” Neville said about the Fun Run. “It has a lot of music and you get to do fun stuff.”
“We really want to help schools do two things,” said Ryan Kell, general manager of Boosterthon in Ohio. “We want to strengthen them by, one, inspiring their students and, two, increasing funds through a remarkable character- and fitness-building experience.”
Boosterthon understands that the next generation of leaders are already in elementary school, Kell explained. As a result, Boosterthon attempts to make an impact in the students’ lives by supplying them with fitness, leadership, and character skills.
“It’s been amazing so far,” Kell said. “What’s been awesome about them is it’s a partnership. We want to work together with them. Every school has their own specific needs, and we just want to come alongside of them and help them – whether it’s raising much-needed funds or just helping create a remarkable experience on campus and in the community.
“Our purpose is to change the world; we feel we can do that with a platform we’ve been given – partnering with great schools like Hannah Crawford.”
The Colonel Crawford Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) members could not have agreed more. As the program built important skills in budding students, the funds raised from Boosterthon will build an improved playground area at the elementary school.
“It’s not just a fundraiser,” explained Sarah McGrady, secretary of the PTO. “It’s so much more than that. It’s character lessons, builds self-esteem – every kid is out there running whether they got pledges or not. Nobody knows who’s making money and who’s not making money. It’s just a great experience overall for all of the kids.”
Tonya Hoepf, vice president of the PTO, believed a big part of the kids’ inspiration was the theme for the event: Big World Recess. The theme introduced students to real kid-athletes in other cultures who played a sport with character, whether it was snowboarding, scuba diving, basketball, or running.
Every year the PTO asks the elementary school staff where improvements could be made. Last year, the PTO bought 30 new Lenovo ThinkPad laptops for the school’s mobile computer lab and indoor play equipment. This year, their efforts will go towards improving the school’s playground.
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Currently, the playground is split into two different sections: one for kindergartners and first graders, and another for the rest of the elementary students.
“We are just wanting to build on what’s already out there,” said PTO president Michelle Feik. “There’s going to be a few cosmetic changes coming this summer.”
The PTO is also looking to get matching funds to get “more bang for our buck,” as Feik put it.
“This has turned into a two-year project,” Feik added. “We wanted the money up front before we contacted the playground companies to see . . . what they’re willing to give us for this amount of money. We’re saving before we’re spending.”
Feik said the students will have major upgrades to the playground by the time fall of 2017 rolls around.
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