The annual Village Elementary Jog-a-thon is quickly approaching. Make your contributions this year via the internet by visiting www.coronadojogathon.com! Niedermeyer Field (pictured above) is home to the Village Elementary Jog-a-thon for grades 1-5.
The Parent Teacher Organization at Village Elementary school sponsors a Jog-a-thon each year to raise funds for programs at the school. It is always a two day event with grades 1-5 participating one day and filling the track at Niedermeyer Field and students at the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) populating the grass field adjacent to their school another day. This year the ECDC students will jog Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 10:30 a.m.
Students at Village Elementary will jog Thursday, January 22, 2015 at the following times:
Grades 2 and 3: 9:00 a.m.
Grade 1: 10:30 a.m.
Grades 4 and 5: 1:00 p.m.
Students and teachers at the ECDC get ready to run laps before the 2014 Village Elementary Jog-a-thon.
The Jog-a-thon is a favorite event of students at the school. It is a FUNdraiser, for certain, as the students love to get outside, enjoy the great weather, and exercise with their friends and classmates, running around the track while music fills the air. It’s also fairly popular with the parents. Volunteers are always welcome and in the past have helped label water bottles (generously donated by Boney’s Bayside Market), count laps, and gently squirt children with a spray bottle as they jog or walk around the track (when the weather is warm). It is a great day for all involved. This year volunteers can help the day of the event by lining the track to cheer joggers and walkers, bringing a sharpie to help count laps and/or hand out water to participants. Laps will be counted for Grades 1-5 this year.
Sailors from the USS Ronald Reagan’s Carrier Strike Group Nine and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 35 (HSM-35) will join participants and volunteers to lend a helping hand.
The sailors are a welcome addition to the volunteer force for setting up the event in the morning, leading the warm up exercises for each session and cleaning up the area when the last session concludes. They can often be seen running side by side with the participating students.
Children request a flat donation for their efforts on the track and do their best to collect the money at the time of the pledge. This year, in addition to pledging a Village Elementary student in person, you can visit the website www.coronadojogathon.com to make a donation online. This is especially convenient for out of town friends and relatives who would like to contribute, but don’t live locally.
There are several incentives, some individual and some collective, to encourage students’ participation in this annual fundraiser. The top overall earner will win a $400 gift certificate to Holland’s Bicycles. The class raising the most funds will be rewarded with a pizza party sponsored by Village Pizzeria. The child in each grade who collects the most in pledges will receive prizes donated by local businesses.
Fourth grader John Van Lare sums it up pretty well by saying, “I think Jog-a-thon is a really good idea because kids can raise money for the school while getting exercise.”
Assistant Principal Tom Bevilacqua told us that “The annual Village Elementary Jog-a-thon is an energetic fundraising event that the entire school participates in. Students in grades TK-5 participate in this event by running with their peers, parents, volunteers, teacher, and administrators. Proceeds from this event support a myriad of programs at Village Elementary. To learn more about our PTO and what they do for our school, click here.
Kate Patrick, a Village second grader said, “Jog-a-thon is crazy awesome!”
Remember that anyone can sponsor a student or teacher by going to www.coronadojogathon.com. Be sure to include student and teacher names in your donation! All pledge sheets are due to the school by Friday, January 16, 2015 for the participant student to be eligible for prizes.
Sponsorship of all Village PTO events has been restructured this year. Top Donors for all Village events this year include: Coronado Bliss, Joe Mullins Orthodontics, Blue Bridge Hospitality, Crown Island Family Practice, Dr. Diane Milberg, The Goodfellow Family, Coronado Shores Company, The Renshaw Family, Emerald City and High Tide Bottle Shop and Kitchen.
Jog-a-thon specific sponsors include: eCoronado.com, Comfort Keepers, Fuel Brothers Web Design, Business Products Express, Boney’s Bayside Market, Which Wich?, Holland’s Bicycles, Gold ‘n’ Gifts, Coronado Recreation Center, Cafe 1134, and Vintage Village Theatre.
All proceeds help fund successful Village Elementary programs like Weebots, Everyone a Reader, and Character Counts. This year’s coordinators, Michelle Delanty and Michelle Van Lare are working diligently to provide another awesome event. If you would like to volunteer or have questions or ideas, please contact them at [email protected].
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Kellee Hearther
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
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