Laie Elementary Walk-a-thon

So I was supposed to let the kids write up a little ad for this, but quite frankly we've run out of time. And it wasn't the kids that put it off, it was me. It was one of those things that we just didn't get to yet, so I'm going to do it now - for them - so that I can at least say it got done!

So the kids' elementary school here in Laie is having it's annual fundraiser. Traditionally the school has held a Fall Festival/Carnival thing to do most of the year's fundraising, and while it has been successful, it was also A LOT of work (I was on the PTCO board last year, believe me, A LOT is an understatement) and a lot of overhead cost. So this year the PTCO (of which I am only a dues paying member this year because of.....well, many other commitments) decided to hold a walk-a-thon. Not only does this provide for a fundraising event where we're not forced to buy stuff, but it promotes exercise since the kids have to get moving to participate.

So here's the low down. The kids are to collect pledges (that are of course due TOMORROW) which can be paid on a per lap basis or as a flat rate. Then on Friday the kids will participate in the actual walking part after school. As they lap around the huge field they will receive tally marks on their forms counting their laps. After the event the kids will then collect their pledges from all the lovely donors to turn into the school.

There are 600 student in our school and they are setting a goal for each child to raise at least $30 - can you imagine if that really happened? This is a great school and a great community, but economically not so great. We have a lot of lower income students - I believe about 75% of our student population qualifies for the free lunch program. The funds that we can raise for the school will directly benefit the students. Education is of course very near and dear to my heart and honestly there isn't a school in the world that couldn't be bettered by having more funds available to the teachers and students. The money collected from the walk-a-thon will be given to the teachers to use in their classrooms (at their discretion, so they can get what they need), to fund a few classroom parties throughout the year (again so the teachers are paying out of pocket for these things) and then the bulk of the total earned will be donated to the school as a whole (from the PTCO).

Anyway, I could go on and on, but I won't. The kids love their school and we're hoping to be able to help out and do our part in the fundraising. SO....if you would like to pledge to donate some money to the school, please DO! The only catch is that it has to be handed in tomorrow. So comment here, email me (cnlpeterson@gmail.com), or if you know my number you can call/text, whatever. We leave for school at 7:30 in the morning, so you have until then to pledge your hearts away! 7:30am in Hawaii is at least 10:30am for you mainlanders - we're 3 hours behind California time. Remember, you can pledge an amount per lap (I'm not sure how long they are walking....this may be putting your pocketbook at risk!) or just a flat rate amount. This is just a commitment - next week we would collect the actual money.

OK, I think that's it and if it's not, I think I'm done anyway:)
The kids are super excited to walk for the school, so I'll be sure to take some pictures!


PS - sorry to those of you who get an email, too!