SVES Canary walkathon the biggest ever

The 11th annual San Vicente Walkathon was a definite success, drawing a crowd of students, parents, and community partners to meet their fundraising goal of $10,000 last Saturday morning.

San Vicente Elementary School students take part in the Canary Walkathon last Saturday morning. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

As much as 20 private and public groups held exhibits on health and hygiene, environmental awareness, and fitness, among others.

Saipan Music and Dance school, and performers from Marianas High School, the Northern Marianas College, and SVES, were the entertainment that day.

According to Parent Teacher Association president Wayne Pangelinan, the walkathon’s goal was to raise sufficient funds for improvements to the elementary school, and to support teachers and students in their programs,

They were near or had exceeded their goal of $10,000, Pangelinan said near the end of the event at 12pm. This was also the biggest walkathon they’ve ever held, he added.

“We’re very elated. We’re stoked to see how this turned out,” he told Saipan Tribune. “We started meeting in December and the vision we all shared was to make this bigger, better, and greater than the many years it had been in existence.”

He said they went out of the way to invite more agencies but it also came down to the time and activity parent volunteers put in to meet their goals.

“We didn’t just focus on the San Vicente community. We went islandwide,” he said.

Pledges from students, raffle sales through solicitations, and food vendors who gave 20 percent of their total gross were the areas of fundraising. The main bulk of fundraising came from pledges, according to Pangelinan.

San Vicente vice principal Ana Marie Guerrero said the class who raised the most money through pledges would get a pizza party. And classes who ran the most laps would get a prize as well, she said.

“The kids don’t seem to want to go home,” said Guerrero, remarking on the crowd still at the San Vicente baseball field near the event’s end at 12pm.

“The weather’s perfect. It hasn’t poured down, it’s nice and cool—it’s great day to be out here,” added Pangelinan.

The PTA president thanked everyone who came to support the walkathon, including Lt. Gov. Ralph DLG. Torres, members of the Legislature, and their partners from the business community.

“Without their support it wouldn’t be as successful as we thought it would be,” he said.