Boosterthon coming to Columbia
As part of the 2011-2012 program, schools nationwide will join Boosterthon in Operation Playground, an initiative that will build playgrounds for underprivileged schools in Guatemala. (Lindsay Cope)
Columbia Elementary in Madison will host the Boosterthon Fun Run event on Nov. 16.
The Boosterthon Fun Run is a nine-day fitness and leadership program designed to help schools raise needed funds for education while inspiring students to live character-filled lives.
Boosterthon’s new character theme, Epic Adventure, will show 430,000 students this school year how to work together in teams through the adventure actions Encourage, Play, Invite and Celebrate.
“Every day, our team members see students across the country get excited about character and leadership,” said Chris Carneal, Boosterthon founder and president. “Schools exceed their financial goals, and we challenge students to live out the daily character action in school and at home.”
As part of the 2011-2012 program, schools nationwide will join Boosterthon in Operation Playground, an initiative that will build playgrounds for underprivileged schools in Guatemala. Students will see firsthand their efforts not only benefiting their school but also giving students in other parts of the world the opportunity to “play.”
“The Boosterthon is our major fundraiser for the year,” said PTA vice-president of membership Mia Dempsey. “It is the way that we fund PTA-sponsored programs and it also teaches students important traits that will stick with them for the rest of their lives.”
Leading up to the Boosterthon Fun Run event at their school, students are invited to gather pledges for each lap they run. Along the way, Boosterthon provides fitness rewards such as the PlayDisc, a hand-woven Fair Trade disc made by local Guatemalans.
Boosterthon has a track record of helping schools boost funding by more than 75 percent over other traditional methods and executes all aspects of the program from start to finish, taking the workload off parent organizations.
Founded in 2001 at a time when the fundraising landscape relied primarily on product and catalog sales, Boosterthon set out to completely redefine the industry. Today, students are not selling products door-to-door; instead they benefit from a fun, interactive program that impacts schools and develops leaders.
But the Boosterthon Fun Run is more than a fundraiser. The program offers an extensive character curriculum that combines live character presentations, a children’s book, upbeat music, and a read-along mini-movie that includes live action and animation.
