CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – When the Parent Teacher Organization at Woodbrook Elementary was looking for a new fundraising avenue, an administrator noted that other schools had done well with walk-a-thons.

Eager to raise money for school field trips, teacher grants and community events, the Woodbrook PTO decided to give it a try.

Unsure how much money such an event might bring in from its community, the organization set what it believed to be a lofty goal to raise $10,000.

Students would solicit donations and pledges for walking laps around the school’s ⅕-mile outdoor gravel track.

Wednesday, 27 classes and over 500 K-12 students participated in the first Woodbrook walk-a-thon. The students walked, jogged and ran a grand total of 4,216 laps and easily surpassed the dollar goal, raising over $12,000 with final numbers still being tallied. 

“The walkathon far surpassed our expectations,” Suzie Telfer, the PTO’s co-fundraising chairperson and organizer of the walk-a-thon, told Cville Right Now. “This was such a unifying experience. The Woodbrook community really came together; the parents supported their children and the school by either contributing financially or volunteering their time; the teachers cheered on their classes, from the principals down to the specials teachers, everyone came out to cheer them on.” 

Four students managed to get in 16 laps – the high mark for the day – in the allotted time, which took place during specials periods. 

“The children were just so amazingly enthusiastic the whole time,” Telfer said. “This was a fun and interactive way to raise the funds needed to support the PTO goals.”

Normally, the organization’s most successful fundraiser is its annual Election Day bake sale, which can bring in anywhere for $1,000-$3,000 to support school initiatives.