Mighty Maverick Stampede

Patrick and I volunteered at Natalie and Eric's school today. They were having their big fundraiser for the year, called the "Mighty Maverick Stampede". All the kids ran laps for 30 minutes and they could get pledges for each lap or most commonly, people gave a set amount of money. The PTA also sold advertising to put on the backs of T-shirts that every child received for free.

Patrick volunteered from 9am for the rest of the day and he was stationed in the "Fun Zone" where the kids got to play in a bouncy house and in a huge inflatable slide. I volunteered to help set-up at 7:30am and through the morning. I was assigned to the "finish line". We gave out popsicle sticks to the kids as they ran past so they could keep track of how many laps they had run. After they finished running, the kids received bracelets or necklaces (their choice) with a bead for each lap they ran. That part was the most work-intensive part of this station, because we had to put different amount of beads on a string and then tie the string around their necks or wrists.

Eric and the Kindergarten class went out there at about 10:30am. He was wearing a red bandana around his neck, which we presumed meant that he was one of the class leaders for the day. His friend Vivian, who is also on his soccer team as well as in his class, was also wearing a red bandana. I liked the bandana because I could more easily identify him in a sea of kids who were all wearing the same shirt. As you can see in the picture, he ran five laps, and therefore received five beads on his necklace. (By the way, five laps around their track is apparently equal to one mile). Interestingly, when we got off the bus he told me that everyone in his class was wearing the same shirt and the same bracelets/necklaces. He was excited about that.

I only volunteered in the morning because it was much cooler in the morning plus I could get some things ready for Natalie's swim meet tomorrow--more on that tomorrow. I even took the kiddos to Starbucks for breakfast in the morning then I drove them to school since I was going there to set-up anyway. We met one of the teachers at Starbucks and she told me how much she enjoyed Natalie. That is always nice to hear.

Since the Fifth Grade was running in the afternoon, I wasn't able to be there when Natalie was there. She was able to greet me during recess, however, when she came to give me a hug. She ran seven laps, but Patrick timed the run and said that they didn't give the Fifth Grade the full 30 minutes. It was closer to 20 minutes.

When their bus arrived at our bus stop, the kids were all singing "We Will Rock You". They all had a very exciting day. Natalie and Eric were all chatty and wanting to tell me all about their day. They usually don't want me to take pictures, but they were very willing today.