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Wednesday's Internet Edition, October 08, 2008.
Jogging for dollars
River Oaks kids raise nearly $10,000 for field trips
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Jog, jog, and jog some more – River Oaks students put their fundraising efforts into actions last week at the River Oaks PTA sponsored Jog-a-Thon as an alternative to asking people to buy things they may not need.
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By Dana Edlund
Staff Writer
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Needing to raise money for their school, the River Oaks Parent Teacher Association recently decided to try a new approach. They held a jog-a-thon for their fall fundraiser, instead of selling items and cookie dough from a catalog.
“This was our first year,” said PTA president Lori Schwarze, “but we hope to make it an annual event. All the students were able to participate, by running laps, even if they did not raise any money. This event gave the kids a better sense of community.”
Students were asked to get flat-rate sponsorships, instead of per-lap amounts. So far, more than $8,000 has been raised, and the money is still coming in. At least three students brought in more than $200 each. One of those students is fourth grader Tyler DuCray, who said he received money from his friends, aunt, mom, and some family friends in Elk Grove.
“It made me feel good to earn so much money,” said Tyler.
One of the best things, though, was the number of kids who raised some amount, even if it was just $2, said Schwarze.
“Many families that do not usually participate in the catalog/cookie dough sales were able to be a part of this,” said Schwarze. “In these tight economic times, it was easier for many students to say, can you sponsor me $5 instead of can you buy $15 worth of products.”
Sarah Krull, a grandparent of River Oaks student Joe Schwarze, said she liked the idea of a jog-a-thon over the traditional catalog and cookie dough sales.
“We get tired of buying things we can’t use. My husband is diabetic, so we don’t buy very much cookie dough,” said Krull. “I’d rather give, as a donation, the school the entire amount I would spend, rather than to spend money on catalog sales and see the school only get about half of it.”
During the jog-a-thon, each grade level ran for 15 minutes, and the class from each grade that logged the most laps, earned a root beer float party. Kindergarteners only ran for five minutes. The classroom prize and flat rate sponsorship led to each class needing to work as a team, instead of students competing against each other.
PTA supplied oranges, granola bars and water. McDonald’s and Carl’s Jr. provided cups and water coolers. PTA parent volunteers organized and hosted the event. More than 30 parents came out throughout the day to cheer on the students. Parents were encouraged to run laps with their child/children, and those laps would count towards the class total.
In the end, the students of River Oaks jogged an astonishing 2,810 laps, which equals approximately 468 miles, which has earned the school more than $9,500 so far.
The winners in each grade who will receive a root beer float celebration were hard to top.
The first graders of Mrs. Funk’s class ran 105 laps. In the second grade class of Mrs. Hayashida, 97 laps were earned, and in Mrs. Hite’s third grade class, the students wracked up 119 laps.
In the higher grades, Mrs. Calhoun’s fourth graders made 161 laps around, Mrs. Jarratt’s fifth graders topped that with 164 laps, but it was the sixth graders of Mrs. Wheeler’s class that won the day with an amazing 176 laps.
One of the main goals for the River Oaks PTA this year is assisting the school with field trip funds.
“We always appreciate the fundraising efforts from PTA,” said Principal Lois Yount. “With the state budget cuts, we do not have funds available for field trips. In many cases, field trips are the culminating, hands-on experiences for students. Our field trips are tied to state content standards at each grade level. With the help of PTA, we are hoping to cut the costs for parents so all students have equitable access. A few of the field trips for River Oaks students will be science camp, Coloma living history, Stockton Symphony, Planetarium, and Civil War Reenactment.”
If you missed sponsoring your favorite River Oaks student, you can still drop off your donation at the school’s office. Every penny and every step “jogged” brings the students that much closer to their field trips.
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