New PTA to host first-ever color dash
News | Published on August 8, 2023 at 2:54pm GMT+0000 | Author: Tucker Henderson
0Event set for August 18 in New York Mills
By Tucker Henderson
Reporter
New York Mills will be hosting its first Dash and Bash, which is being put on by the newly-formed Eagle Nest Parent Teacher Association. Funds are being raised through a registration fee and will go towards the mission of the PTA, including supporting staff members of District 553. The run will be held on Saturday, Aug. 19.
“It’s a one-mile color run, walk, or stroll at the Lion’s walking trail,” said representative Stephanie VonRuden. “We’re hoping people come a little bit early—there’s going to be a food truck selling doughnuts and coffee, Leighton Broadcasting is bringing their boombox truck, so we’ll have some music playing. The run starts at 10 a.m. and we’re hoping to continue the party a little bit with some music and try to make a little bit of money so we can support the school a little better.”
Registration will begin at $10 for those who would like to bring their own light-colored T-shirt and at $20 for those who want to buy the Dash and Bash supplied T-shirt. The shirts are light-colored so that when attendees make their way around the course, the non-toxic dye that is thrown by event volunteers shows up against the shirt.
“I’ve never done a color run before, so I’m really excited about that,” said VonRuden. “I’ve seen other communities do them and they always look like so much fun, so I’m excited to be able to do that and enjoy it with our community, to do it in part to support the school.”
VonRuden said that Kelsey Hammer, a member of the PTA, first had the idea for a fundraising color run before the group even began. She knew it was a successful idea in other communities, so she decided to try it in NY Mills.
“When we started talking about forming a PTA and we were messaging back and forth about different ideas for how to raise money, she said ‘I feel like this is a great event,’” said VonRuden. “So she’s spearheading the committee and she’s got a lot of really great parent volunteers working with her, so they just took it and ran.”
The funds from this year’s Dash and Bash color run will start the fundraising campaign that the Eagle Nest PTA has set out to accomplish. They are raising funds for the annual appreciation days for staff members at the school, school supplies for students, as well as a goal to support Kindergarten Round Up and open house nights at the school.
“I’m pretty passionate about making sure my kids have the best education they can have, so anything I can contribute to that is great,” VonRuden said. “I think that’s why I’m excited about the PTA too, just to have that community network and making sure they know they can reach out to parents and we’re all in this together. We’re all doing the best to raise the best kids.”
Everyone is invited to participate in the event and registration is open for those interested in attending. Participants can register online through the Eventbrite website which can be found on the NYM Civic and Commerce Facebook page. Registration can also be done via telephone by calling VonRuden at (218) 385-2300.
“I’ll be more than happy to walk them through that process or get them registered elsewhere,” she said. “We hope people from everywhere come out. I feel like the school is kind of the hub of the community, so having all the support we can for the staff within the school is always great to have the community outreach for that.”