Run for Education brings in $125,000 for district programs

Sunday's Run for Education to benefit a pair of key school initiatives was called a success, with $125,000 raised in corporate sponsorships and donations and perhaps more as a final tally of money raised by race registration will not be available until later this week, according to race organizers.
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Members of the public were shuttled on seven buses from the RC Willey parking lot to Damonte Ranch High School where the races were held. Students from many Washoe County schools were bussed in from their campuses and hundreds of parents and teachers and between 250 to 300 volunteers were on hand for the event, race director Eric Lerude said Monday.

Through the Education Alliance of Washoe County, the funds will benefit the Washoe County School District's Kids in Motion Program, which promotes and provides health and fitness programs at elementary schools where there are no formal fitness programs, and the Passport Program, which assists K-12 students who need additional assistance to help them meet educational goals.

"This event is vital to those programs, there's no doubt about it," said Lerude, who has directed the 5-year-old event the past two years. "This event has become very popular in this community, and it's obviously for a good cause."

The Kids in Motion program provides money to participating schools in the form of grants to help purchase fitness equipment, such as basketballs, soccer balls and jump ropes, fund field days, support running teams or provide formal physical education instruction.

The Passport Program helps fund tutoring, summer school and has helped nearly 2,000 students in the last four years.

Lerude said company sponsorships and other contributions this year raised about $125,000 for the two programs. Last year, the sponsor donations and registrations totaled approximately $188,000.

"We are still totaling the runner registration entry dollars," Lerude said "That number as of (Monday) is $30,000, but we are not finished processing checks. We'll have that part figured out within days."

Source: rgj.com (BY MICHAEL MARTINEZ • October 21, 2009)