October 13, 2005

SCHOOL SCENEin Almaden Valley

There’s “Miles of Smiles” at Simonds Elementary School. Back row: walk-a-thon Chairs Kim Earnshaw and Nancy Cerone, and Principal Linda Kakes; front row: Jessica Earnshaw, Ashley Gates, Taylor Palmaffy, Jesse Ventura and Sophia Mangin.

Miles of smiles

Third annual Simonds walk-a-thon fund-raiser raises whopping $44,000

By Jeanne Carbone Lewis
Staff Writer

Another school year has started at Simonds Elementary School. And that means funding is needed to keep their music and technology programs operating. Step in the Simonds Music and Technology Foundation and its third annual fund-raiser, the “Miles of Smiles Walk-a-thon,” which raised a whopping $44,000 last weekend.

The event kicked off with a movie night featuring “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” One hundred and fifty families enjoyed the film donated by local outfit APEX. Carl and Leslie Schiefer, whose children attend Simonds, were more than happy to help. Parents Kari Salo and Betty Gonzalo coordinate the event. Three hundred and sixty candy bars were sold and five lucky kids found golden tickets in their treat allowing them the special privilege of the first to launch the walk-a-thon with Principal Linda Kakes.

“This is so much fun,” said Principal Kakes before she opened the walk-a-thon with the five excited kids. “And everyone helps. There is so much bonding with the families. This school is like the hub of the community. People belong and friendships are made. It is exactly what a school should do.”

The kids obtain pledges from families, friends and neighbors and walk the field at Simonds School. There are incentive prizes for laps: five laps for a water bottle, 20 laps for a smiley face wrist band, 45 laps for a yoyo, and well, you get the picture.

And the teachers are just as excited about the event as the limber kids. They set up a teacher’s treat silent auction offering pizza parties for the kids or a swim party or dinner at Chevy’s and a trip to Barnes and Noble to purchase a paperback. One of the items receiving the most bids is “Principal for the Day.”

And then there’s the food. Donuts, bagels and coffee are available in the morning, followed by barbecue lunch and afternoon snacks. All to keep the energy high for the 450 kids who pledged to walk throughout the day. And the parents came out in droves, some walking laps with their kids, others enjoying communing with friends and neighbors of the Simonds community.

“All the parents work so hard,” said Simonds Music and Technology Foundation President Joy Spodick, whose third grade daughter Hannah attends the school. “And so do the children. The kids participate and are motivated. They really support this event.”

Simonds teachers helped on the day of the “Miles of Smiles Walk-a-thon” and also donated teacher treats at the silent auction, which raised $7,500.

And pitch in they do. Parents are seen manning the food, drink and prize booths. And of course there’s the set up before the event ever takes place. One hundred and twenty five parents volunteer for the happening event. Jan Chase of Blue Sky Promotions donates all the balloons. Her motto is “you can’t be unhappy when you blow up a happy face.”

And there are a lot of happy faces. But the reason for the fundraising is just as impressive. Simonds Music and Technology Foundation, a nonprofit organization serving the students and community, raises $100,000 a year. The money goes toward music and technology instructor’s salaries and items for the classes. The classes wouldn’t exist without the foundation’s fund-raising.

The walk-a-thon contributes a third of the monies needed to maintain the programs. And this year the event out did all previous years—$36,600 from movie night, walk-a-thon pledges, barbecue and snacks and $7,500 from the teacher treat auction, yielding a grand total of $44,100.

“So many of the parents help,” said Kim Earnshaw who chairs the event along with Nancy Cerone. “And it grows bigger every year. It is the most fun and a lot of bonding occurs as we work together. There’s a lot of community spirit.”

And so a good day was had by all at Simonds Elementary School. But most of all, they’re helping the children prepare for the future by providing students with music and technology classes, which just a generation ago, were taken for granted.

San Jose Christian Walkathon raises $42,000 for programs and supplies

Daniel Tisdale, (top, second from right) who walked the most laps at the Walkathon (110 laps!) takes a break to pose with his buddies.

The participants’ blistered feet weren’t for naught – the kindergartners through eighth graders raised an impressive $42,000 (net).

By Julie Davis Berry
Special to the Times

Over 225 students, big and small, walked the track recently to raise funds for school programs in the second annual San Jose Christian School Walkathon. Their blistered feet weren’t for naught – the kindergartners through eighth graders raised an impressive $42,000 (net).

The school, located on the Campbell campus of the former Dover Elementary School, holds the Walkathon to raise money to support the student activity fund. The fund includes P.E. equipment, a trip to the Fine Arts Festival, events like the seventh grade spiritual retreat and the Sports Banquet and toward purchasing classroom supplies like maps and TVs.

“It was a great day for community building and the local businesses really helped out donating for the silent auction. The whole day was about raising money for the kids,” said fundraising chairperson Bonnie Harper. “It really takes a village to run a walkathon.”

Although the students worked hard walking around the parent-made track, there was also lots of time for good old fashioned fun. They could purchase tickets to dunk popular seventh grade teacher Mr. Ezell in the dunk tank, jump in the jump house, get their faces painted or try a new ‘do at the crazy hair booth, all while munching down delicious cheeseburgers and nachos.

“It’s a great event,” said Superintendent Al Kosters as he surveyed the crowd. “We raise a lot of money but more importantly you get to see the smiles on all the kids’ faces.”