RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - The Roadrunner Rock ‘N’ Run jog-a-thon at Cosumnes River Elementary School on Oct. 11 was a double success. Not only did the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) raise $33,571 in donations from school families, but this year the PTA will retain all proceeds from its biggest fundraiser of the year.

Courtney Reid, PTA President, was elated afterwards. “It was extremely successful,” she said. “We raised more than I thought possible with just the PTA organizing it ourselves, without using a professional company.”

Last year, the PTA hired a company to manage the jog-a-thon, as previous boards had done. “Although we raised a little over $35,000 last year, we had to give 40% of it to the company,” Reid said.

This year’s financial outcome is much brighter. “We now have all the funds we need for the next year to support fun activities, purchase supplies and equipment for the school, and launch a new broadcasting program,” she added.

To simplify the process, Reid opted for a fixed donation amount instead of basing donations on the number of laps. She also set up a website using the free platform 99Pledges.com. “I sent out a ton of emails to parents, encouraging them to share it on Facebook and other platforms,” she said. “Then it really spread by word of mouth.”

Students were key to the three-week fundraising campaign, which culminated in the jog-a-thon. Each classroom received a blank flag to decorate with their team name and motto, and incentives like ice cream and pizza parties were offered as they reached milestones.

One heartwarming exception came from five students who organized their own fundraiser. “I loved that these kids took the initiative to do something different and raised a lot of money,” Reid said.

Mrs. Healey’s fifth-grade class was trailing in donations when five students — Safia Ibragimova, Reece McNamara, Savannah Land, Drew Barentson Wilkins, and Jack Harper — set up a stand at Riverside Park, selling handmade bracelets, ice cream bars and lemonade. Their earnings went to their classroom and “They ended up winning a lot of prizes,” Reid said.

The PTA is excited to introduce a new broadcasting program, which will give fourth through sixth graders hands-on experience in digital video and TV production. The program, suggested by computer teacher Bill Moe, will be modeled after one he created at Sunrise Elementary. With Principal Mike's approval, the PTA fully supported the idea.

“If everything goes well, the student-produced news show will be broadcast to the whole school once a month and available for parents to watch at home,” Reid explained.

About 350 students participated in the jog-a-thon, which took place under sunny skies on the school’s grassy field. The excitement was high as first, second, and third graders took part in the first heat, waving their decorated classroom flags while emcee Dan Reid introduced each team, such as Mrs. Harder’s Hares, Mrs. Myer’s Monkeys, and Mrs. Shehorn’s Sonics.

Students raced under an inflatable arch marking the start of the course, while DJ Reggie Vezia kept the energy up with lively music and a freeze-and-slow-motion game. 

Lap cards pinned to each runner’s back added another layer of fun, allowing them to “brag about it later,” Reid said. Parent volunteers marked the cards after each lap, though some kids were too excited to stop.

At the end of the event, parent volunteers handed out frozen fruit bars to the students before they returned to class.

Later, the fourth through sixth graders took their turn, and the kindergartners and Pre-K students wrapped up the event by racing around a smaller track for 20 minutes. “I think we made the track too small because they zipped around it in no time,” Reid joked.