On Tuesday morning, the normally quiet grounds outside Guggenheim Elementary School in Port Washington were teeming with activity. Starting with kindergarteners at 9 a.m., students from every grade of the school raced in loops to help raise money for their school while backed by their cheering parents and music booming over the PA system.
The event was the school’s “Fun Run,” which was put together by the Guggenheim HSA. Linda Kulla, the co-vice president of fundraising for the HSA who helped organize the event with Sara Kolb, said it is the first of its kind in the area.
“There are others on Long Island who have done this, but this is the first in Port,” Kulla said.
The goal of the campaign was to raise $13,000 for the purchase of iPads, Chromebooks, STEM equipment and playground equipment. Krull said that the school had already raised $16,000 by the morning of the Fun Run, with two weeks left in the fundraiser.
She said that donations had come from as far away as Japan and Ireland.
“It opens up the fundraising to the greater community and basically the whole world,” Kulla said. “The children were able to reach out to family and friends from all over the world. It’s a bigger fundraiser than we’ve ever had.”
The fundraiser kicked off with a pep rally at the end of September. Over the past couple of weeks, students had lessons built around STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in anticipation of the new technology. After those classes, Kulla said, the children need to get outside and run around.
“It’s fun for them,” she said.
Some of the kids had pledges for each lap that they ran, or walked, or skipped. As the Guggenheim students raced in circles around her, Kulla said she would like to have another Fun Run fundraiser next year, although for a different cause.
“[Kolb and I] will think about that after we decompress from planning this,” she said with a laugh.
Reach reporter Luke Torrance by email at ltorrance@theislandnow.com, by phone at 516-307-1045, ext. 214, or follow him on Twitter @LukeATorrance.
