By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
It may have been St. Patrick’s Day, but Colonel Crawford Elementary students chose whiteT-shirts instead of green to go along with their glow sticks for the Little Eagles Fun Run.
The event, hosted for a second year by Boosterthon, is a fundraiser for the Colonel Crawford Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO). Throughout the week, students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade collected pledges from sponsors, whether it was a flat donation or pledges per lap, and watched videos that featured character lessons. It all culminated on the Fun Run Friday morning.
The lights were turned off in the elementary school gym and students were lined up at the starting block, glow sticks crowning their heads and colorful blinking lights flashing from their wrists. The day’s emcee ran the grades through some warmups before releasing the students to begin their laps around the gym.
“It was something different,” PTO member Tonya Hoepf said of the glow run. “I think they were excited about it.”
Though the Fun Run was put on to get the kids active, it also engaged them in fundraising efforts for a different type of outdoor activity.
“We are trying to complete the playground,” said Hoepf. “Our money last year went towards playground updates. Going into it we realized how much it really cost, so we decided to hold off and use this year’s run to do something even bigger and better.”
Bigger and better in this case means not only an improved playground, but also money towards a mobile computer lab. Hoepf expects the playground addition to be completed this summer.
“We’ll actually be able to show what it’s all for,” she added.
Right now, the PTO is focused on raising the money, but they have three different playground options to choose from depending on how much the organization decides to spend. This weekend will serve as the final days of fundraising as the classes compete to have the highest pledges. The winning class will be treated to a bubble party by the PTO.