CHIMACUM — A 5K run/walk set for April 27 is the result of a partnership between two groups to raise money for healthy lunches for students both in Chimacum and in a country far from home.
The WE Act Club of Chimacum High School and The Community Wellness Project (CWP) of Jefferson County are working together to organize the WE Feed Kids 5K.
Chimacum students and students in the Emburis Pre and Primary School in Monduli, Tanzania will benefit.
“Joining in with WE Feed Kids is a great way to have fun with friends, support healthy children here and in the village of Monduli, Tanzania, and also to get in shape for the Rhody Run,” said Abby Jorgensen of CWP, who is the chair of the event, in a press release.
The founder and director of Emburis Primary School in Tanzania, Nakaji Lukumay, will be in Chimacum for the fundraiser and will talk about her Maasai culture in the library and classrooms of Chimacum Schools, said Jorgensen, who taught in Monduli for five years.
“Nakaji was involved at the forefront of bringing secondary education to Maasai girls in her country,” Jorgenson said.
“She is now busy with building a model of strong English Medium primary education in which children are nourished both in mind and body. Healthy breakfasts and lunches are a key to her success.”
The run/walk will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 27 on the track at Chimacum High School. 91 West Valley Road. It will wind through HJ Carroll Park, across Chimacum Creek and up to finish at Finnriver Cidery where lunch snacks will be provided.
Participants are urged to arrive between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Fundraising is through sponsorships. The goal is to raise $12,000; as of Saturday, $1,120 already had been donated at the website for both registration and donations: jccwp.org.
Registration is free for all runners who collect $35 or more in sponsorships. The cost to register without having raised that amount in sponsorships is $10 for students and $35 for adults.
T-shirts are guaranteed for those who register before Monday.
Online registration will be open until noon the day before the event. Sponsorships must come in by noon April 26 to cover registration cost. In-person registration will open at 10 a.m. the day of the event.
“WE Feed Kids, capital WE for the WE Act Club, is more than just a 5k run,” Jorgensen said. “Students and community members are encouraged to multiply the impact of their participation by joining with a team of friends, co-workers, or any type of group to raise sponsorships for their run or walk together.”
Teams can be registered on the event’s website at jccwp.org/ and donors are given the option of choosing an individual or team to sponsor.
As of now a team called Kathryn’s Food Fanatics is sitting at the top of the list, having raised over $400 for the cause already, Jorgensen said.
Team Captain Kathryn Lamka, secretary/treasurer of the CWP board said: “Unfortunately I’m going to be out of town the weekend of the run, but I’m working with friends to raise money for a good cause anyway. My friends will walk for me.”
Other teams registered already include The Educat-Oars, Peace Lutheran Fellowship, The Sole Sisters and Finnriver Crew.
Registration is linked to the CWP website and is available on The WE Feed Kids 5K Facebook and Instagram pages.
The run is not an official race because of safety issues with road crossings, Jorgensen said, but finishers will be announced in the following categories: Most money raised by an individual; most raised by a team, first-through-third-place male and female finishers, ages 5-9; 10-14; 15-18, adult; and older than 70.
The Community Wellness Project has been around for more than a decade under several different names, most recently the Jefferson County Farm to School Coalition, Jorgensen said.
WE Schools is an international program that “challenges young people to identify the local and global issues that spark their passion and empowers them with the tools to take action,” she said.
As an example, she said that in 2018, CHS Senior Juliette Alban worked with a few friends to organize the WE Walk for Water campaign which raised funds for clean wells in Ecuador.
Sponsors of the event include Jefferson Healthcare, The Community Wellness Project, Bishop Propane Services, Staci Matthes — Coldwell Banker Best Homes, Finnriver Cidery, Ludlow Bay Massage & Wellness Spa, Casal Homes, Performance Property Management, Necessary Force Fitness, Chimacum Corner Farmstand. In-kind donations have come from The Food Co-op, Carl’s Lumber, The Sign Station and Highway Specialties.
Ava Vaughn, organizing member of WE Act, concluded: “WE Feed Kids means not only benefitting our community, but also benefitting a group of children who would never have thought something of this sort was possible. It feels good.”
