The colors of the rainbow rained down on some Sope Creek Elementary students running to raise money for the school’s Parent Teacher Association. The annual Boosterthon Fun Run raised $85,000 and had students leaping with excitement as they ran toward their goal of 35 laps.
Prior to race day, students gathered pledges for each lap they completed during the fun run. Teachers checked off each lap on the back of the students’ Boosterthon t-shirts.
“Our goal for the Boosterthon Fun Run was to raise $85,000 and I’m elated that we hit that mark,” said Dr. Douglas Daugherty, Sope Creek principal. “That’s our PTA’s one fundraiser of the year. From that they allow us to purchase STEM resources that will help us get our Cobb County STEM certification this year and by the end of the year, our Georgia STEM certification. So we are excited about what these funds are going to help us to do.”
The raised funds will help students, like third grader Carter.
“When I grow up, I want to be a scientist. I like to study a lot,” Carter said after completing her Boosterthon Fun Run.
The Fun Run was broken down by grade level. Kindergarten and first grade students kicked off the race. Second and third grade student runners followed.
The Fun Run transformed into a color run for fourth and fifth graders. The older students danced, leaped and pleaded for parent volunteers to shower them with more colored powder as they ran.
“It is fun! Our fifth graders have been doing Boosterthon for six years since they were kindergarteners. So they tried to make it a little extra special for them the past two years,” said Sarah Null, one of the color-run parent volunteers. “Half of them love it, and half them want nothing to do with the (color part). The ones that like it are super motivated to get super colorful. Some of them want their socks with different striped colors, and some of them want their shirts streaked in different ways. So they are very specific on how they want their color.”
Principal Daugherty even got into the color-run fun when staff gave him a color-powder shower before the fourth and fifth graders started their Fun Run.
Students finished the Boosterthon Fun Run by taking a victory lap with their parents and friends.
“The Fun Run is a great example of the community and everybody coming together to support what we are trying to achieve in our elementary school,” Principal Daugherty said. “We couldn’t be more grateful for the community efforts—the parents, businesses, grandparents—who have all pledged their support for the initiatives we are trying to accomplish here. A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone for their generosity, kindness and initiative for what has been a wonderful event.”
