Crestview school raises funds with jog-a-thon
Crestview Christian School students show the T-shirts listing the names of sponsors from the annual jog-a-thon fundraiser Friday.
COURTESY PHOTO/CRESTVIEW CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
MOSES LAKE — The students at Crestview Christian School in Moses Lake had a little outside support for their annual jog-a-thon fundraiser Friday.
“We had some of the neighbors come over, and they walked a couple of laps with the kids,” said school secretary Kim Dieter. “It was a gorgeous day, perfect for outside activity. Not too hot, not too cold.”
About 30 people, including students from both Crestview and Brite Beginnings Preschool as well as some teachers and other adults, ran, jogged or walked around a makeshift track behind the school. Grownup volunteers tallied the laps and kept the walkers hydrated. A neighborhood puppy named River even trotted over and walked a few laps with the children.
Students raised money for the jog-a-thon by soliciting sponsorships to contribute a certain amount per lap they completed, and businesses could sponsor the event as well. A contribution of $150 or more got the donor’s name on a commemorative T-shirt.
Students completed a total of 912 laps, Dieter wrote an email to the Columbia Basin Herald.
The amount of money raised wasn’t available at press time. Dieter said. The goal was $18,000, the same as last year’s jog-a-thon, and that event raised more than $20,000. Every year the money goes toward improvements to the school. This year’s funds will purchase some new furniture for the entry foyer of the school and picnic tables for the playground area.
Crestview and Brite Beginnings are both affiliated with the Moses Lake Seventh-day Adventist Church, and until October 2024, the church had been meeting in the school building. At that time, the church building, which had been under construction for more than 15 years, was complete enough to move into. This meant some of the school’s furniture went to the new church.
“It left us with some bedraggled seconds,” Dieter said. “So we want to spruce (the foyer) up a bit and make it more appealing.”
The picnic tables are well-worn from Basin weather, and the school hopes to replace them with coated, heavy-duty ones.
“(The existing ones) have been out in the sun for several seasons now and are breaking down.” Dieter said. “We want something a little sturdier and safer than the jagged edges of the plastic falling apart.”