What’s better than gathering some friends and family, putting on fun Halloween costumes – Beetlejuice would be a great choice this year! – and taking a jog through the lovely fall season? Nothing, unless that run also benefits local area youth! All Kids Win is our beloved nonprofit that provides food and necessities to Thurston County youth and you can support them by participating in the All Kids Win Haunted 5K on October 26, 2024. You can participate virtually or in-person at Woodland Creek Community Park.
“Fundraising is super important to All Kids Win right now,” shares Kelli Schueler, co-founder and principal of Kesh Marketing, who sponsors the event. “With increased food costs and the number of students we serve, our food budget is right around $10,000 per week. The event is also a great community awareness event and fun for the whole family. We make a lot of friends, new supporters and hopefully some new volunteers too!”
Together, we can help feed the future.
2024 Haunted 5K Benefitting All Kids Win
“We love the haunted 5K because it is a fantastic family event – it has everything, fun costumes, candy, a great atmosphere, it’s outside, everyone gets to do something they like and it’s also supporting All Kids Win, which is our family’s favorite local nonprofit,” shares Katie Stemmene, grant writer and project coordinator at Kesh Marketing. Last year she helped with registration at the Haunted 5K and her son, Jonah, participated in the run.
“He liked the run because he found someone to really race again (Reid) and beat him,” shares Katie. Both had so much fun, they are headed back for this year too! “That was his favorite part, he is determined to win again this year. I will be manning the registration table again this year, Jonah is going to run again, trying to win again!”
You’ll want to run, not walk, to get registered for this fun event too!
Thanks to two races, the entire family can join, even the dog! Youth under 12 years old can sign up for the Kids K, which happens right before the start of the 5K. All kids registered for the Kids K get a trick-or-treat bag and a participation ribbon! After their race, they can trick-or-treat at the sponsor booths.
Sponsors like TwinStar Credit Union, which has been involved with the run since 2020. “We sponsor because we are a part of the community this organization impacts, and supporting our communities is the core of our credit union’s vision,” shares Laurie Kresel, vice president marketing at TwinStar Credit Union. “All Kids Win does great work to help uplift and support our youth. When you visit the All Kids Win website, it says everything in one simple statement, ‘Hunger never gets in the way of student success.’ We want to be a part of that.” In addition to sponsoring, TwinStar Credit Union volunteers help with set up, tear down and course guiding.
There will be prizes for costumes too, so start planning now!
Virtual 5K Race Allows All to Participate and Help Local Youth
Can’t make it to the park but still want to participate, you can join in on all the fun with your own virtual race. Just register online, choosing the virtual option, and All Kids Win will send you your medal and drawstring bag. Then, send them a photo or tag them on social media and they will share it on the All Kids Win pages!
Registration for in-person and virtual Haunted 5Ks is online now through October 25. You can also register in person on the day of the 5Ks at Woodland Creek Community Park starting at 9 a.m. The 5K starts at 10 a.m.
Supporting All Kids Win
The need in our community is real. All Kids Win sends out between 900 and 1,200 food bags each week! In the 2023-24 school year, that amounted to over 36,101 bags of food for our local youth. Even if you can’t participate in the Haunted 5K, consider donating food or gift cards. “$20 grocery gift cards and tuna or chili food drives,” shares Kelli. “These two things take a tremendous stress off our budget when they are donated. We send home grocery cards over winter break to help fill the gap of not receiving our bags for a little over two weeks.”
Think fundraising and community service is dull? Think again! When we come together as a community to support each other while having fun, we all win.
For more information, visit the All Kids Win website.
All Kids Win Haunted 5K
October 26, 2024
Woodland Creek Community Park
6729 Pacific Avenue SE, Lacey
Sponsored
