Rogers Adventist School organizers were at the Martin Field Track setting up for a fundraising jog-a-thon on a beautiful fall morning in College Place, Washington, but the students were nowhere to be found.
Ironically, students were missing because of the very same problem the fundraiser would help to solve. The school's bus had broken down again.
Every year, RAS students choose a fundraising goal, then participate in a jog-a-thon to reach their goal. In past years, they’ve raised money for picnic tables and computers. This year, they set their hopes high, and decided to raise money for a transit vehicle that could be used for field trips, music tours, athletic games and more.
The students wanted to try to raise the $40,000 needed to fund the new vehicle, and invited friends and family members to sponsor them for the jog-a-thon and donate funds for the miles they would run. When the bus broke down on the day of the event, students and donors alike felt extra motivated to meet the goal.
Transportation rescue options eventually brought all the students to the track, where they ran and walked for two hours. Three students won the highest lap count in the school. Sofie Edwards ran 12 miles, while Jackson Bryant and Micah Lopez both ran 13.5 miles.
At the end of the day, and after all their hard work, students more than doubled their goal! Contributions from generous RAS donors came to $80,500 allowing RAS to purchase not one, but two transit vehicles. God blessed RAS through the school community's hard work and generosity.
Left to right: Jackson Bryant, Micah Lopez, Sofie Edwards ran the most miles in two hours.
