A crowd of parents and teachers cheered on more than 200 students at Our Lady of Refuge (OLR) Catholic School in Long Beach on Oct. 17, at their annual Jog-a-thon & Health Fair.
The students were decked out in red t-shirts with this year’s motto, “I Survived the 2014 OLR Jog-a-thon.” This school-wide event encourages children to live healthy, active lifestyles, while raising $15,000 to be used to enhance and support the school’s art, music and technology programs.
The jog-a-thon started with all students warming up, led by 8th graders. The youngest students in TK began riding their trikes around the track again and again. Other grades came in groups, K-8th grades run laps around the track. The objective was to do as many laps as possible within 10-20 minutes (more time for older grades) on a cone-marked course.
With music blaring from 93.1 Jack FM booth nearby, students eagerly huffed and puffed around the jog-a-thon track to raise money for the school. Parent volunteers marked each child’s tracker card pinned to the back of the student’s shirt to track their laps. OLR Principal Tricia Holmquist and Pastor Fr. Ray Morales handed out high fives to all students who ran past them. Ernie DeGuia, MC of the event, kept everything running on time. Students paused for short water breaks during their run, with water being donated by F&M Bank.
A Health Fair was held in conjunction with the jog-a-thon. More than 20 health booths were present with activities, demonstrations, information, healthy snacks and fun. Chivas USA soccer team sent their ChivaFighter mascot along with an inflatable soccer goal for kids to tryout their skills in kicking a soccer ball into their goal. Fire Station #17 brought their fire truck and equipment along with the Long Beach Police and Los Angeles Sheriff who educated the students about safety. Students learned about healthy eating through the Nutrition Bingo and Wheel of Nutrition games provided by the Long Beach Public Health Department. Healthy snacks were donated by Juice Plus and Nutritional Therapy by Design. A local dentist, Garry Ocampo, DDS, gave out free toothbrushes. Target Pharmacy gave information on how to stay healthy during the cold and flu season. The Long Beach Public Library gave out books to the students, emphasizing the importance of reading. Local high schools, St. John Bosco, St. Joseph, and St. Anthony’s, encouraged students to continue their education. Each student brought home a bag, donated by State Farm, filled with items and education materials promoting healthy lifestyle.
After the event, prizes were awarded to those students who ran the most laps and raised the most money in each class. Students who raised $150 or more were entered in a raffle to win prizes that were generously donated by organizations in the community. The top three students who raised the highest dollars won a Chivas USA Team autographed ball or Chavis USA game tickets. The top class, grade 7, raised the highest dollars, (average per student), and won a build your own Sundae Ice Cream Party.
“It’s a lot of fun and the kids have a great time,” said Melani De los Reyes, Chair for OLR’s Jog-a-thon & Health Fair. “It is an event that the children look forward to each and every year.”
OLR appreciates all the organizations who were sponsors and/or donated prizes to this event including Our Lady of Refuge Parish, F&M Bank, J&L Jewelry, Priority One Home Health Services, The CORE Group, St. John Bosco HS, St. Joseph HS, St. Anthony HS, Hertzog Eye Care, Costa De Oro Media Inc., Chivas USA, Sprouts, Albertsons, Food for Less, Stater Brothers, Aquarium of the Pacific, Queen Mary, Mulligans Family Center, Servite HS, Rosary HS, AMF Bowling, Four Star Cinema, DG Boxing, Golf N Stuff, Adventure City, East West Ice Palace, and Johns Incredible Pizza.
OLR has been a vital part of the Long Beach community for more than 60 years. Their mission is to educate the whole child – spiritually, academically and physically. Their graduates are well-rounded individuals who know the value of community service and the importance of giving back to one’s community.
