MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — One Edmonds School District Parent Teacher Organization is going beyond typical fundraisers to help its students and school.
The Cedar Way Elementary PTO is organizing the first Mountlake Terrace 5k Fun Run/Walk.
“It’s a family event that encourages students and families to get out in a no-pressure way to get healthy and active,” said Molly Luna, Cedar Way PTO president.
All proceeds will benefit the Cedar Way PTO, as well as any public elementary school in Mountlake Terrace that a participant chooses.
Organizers are picking up support from local businesses but are still in need of event volunteers and more sponsors to help cover the costs.
Organizers hope to make the fun run an annual event. The inaugural Mountlake Terrace 5K Fun Run/Walk is scheduled for July 28 at Mountlake Terrace High School, 21801 44th Ave. W, Mountlake Terrace.
Event organizers hope to see at least 100 people of all ages participate.
The 5k is one of the community events included in the 19th annual Tour de Terrace, the Seafair-sanctioned summer festival for Mountlake Terrace.
“It’s a great addition to Tour de Terrace,” Luna said.
Check-in begins at 7:45 a.m. and the run starts at 8:30 a.m. followed by the walk at 8:45 a.m.
The run begins and ends at Mountlake Terrace High School’s track and field course. The route winds through Terrace Creek Park, by Cedar Plaza and past the Cedar Way Elementary School playground. The route is approximately 3.17 miles.
“It’s another way for kids to get active, and it’s not that hard to do a 5k,” Luna said. “All ages and all types of people can do this.”
When PTO groups organize fundraisers to sell T-shirts and chocolate bars, for example, it’s typically the same 130 students who participate. That participation is great; however, it places a burden on a select group of students, Luna said.
PTO members have been trying to come up with community-based fundraisers to avoid habitually asking folks for money, said Jocelyn Muller, PTO co-secretary.
“It’s a fun thing to do to get kids and the community more involved in exercise-based activities,” Muller added.
The Edmonds Public Schools Foundation has been successful hosting an annual Street Strut community event, so the PTO was inspired to try its luck with something similar. Tour de Terrace also picks up a lot of traffic, which prompted them to approach Terrace organizers about the feasibility of holding a fun run during the festival, Luna said.
The group feels lucky to work with Terrace organizers and have their fundraiser included in the summer festival’s lineup, she said.
“It’s going to be a really fun community event getting people out in the neighborhood supporting local schools,” Muller said.
If you go
For more information and to register for the 5k, go to http://cedarwaypto.org/mlt_5k_fun_run, or find the event at www.active.com. You can also “like” the Mountlake Terrace 5k Fun Run/Walk on Facebook.
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