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People Seen
People Seen
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Nearly 1,500 runners and walkers hit the streets in downtown Allen for the Inaugural Allen Eagle Run on Saturday, March 7. The run, which was organized by the Foundation For Allen Schools and the Allen/Lovejoy Council of PTAs, benefitted both student and teacher scholarships.
"We are absolutely thrilled with the response to our first Eagle Run," said Regina Taylor, Foundation director. "Not only did we have lots of our parents and students partici-pating, but many Allen ISD teachers and staff turned out for the run. In addition, we drew runners from all over Collin County, some from East Texas, and even a runner who came from Oklahoma!"
Planning for the run began more than a year ago when volunteers from the Boon Elementary PTA brought the idea to the Foundation. Boon Elementary had hosted the successful "Patriot Run" for two years and wanted to spread the experience to all of the Allen campuses.
The partnerships between the Foundation and the PTA Council had proved successful for seven years with the annual BEE for Education spelling contest. "It was a little scary to walk away from the BEE, which has been a great event for our district. But we wanted to provide an opportunity for our whole com-munity to participate in an event that promoted health and physical fitness. And that was one of the most rewarding things about the Eagle Run—seeing hundreds of our families walking and running together," Taylor added.
"Everyone brought the best of Allen to show at the Eagle Run," said Nanette Boyer, a run volunteer and active PTA member at Boon Elementary and Allen High School. "Our PTA volunteers provided hours of support before and during the event and many registered to run with their entire families. This inaugural year was a resounding success!"
In addition to awards for top runners in each age category, three special awards were presented—the Largest School Team went to Vaughan Elementary, the Best Dressed School Team went to Bolin
Elementary and the Largest Community or Corporate Team was awarded to Primrose School of West Allen.
Based on the number of entries from their school, each Allen ISD campus PTA and Physical Education Department received some of the run proceeds. The majority of the funds went to the PTA Council for student scholarships to be awarded to the Allen High School Class of 2009. The council awards scholarships to students who intend to pursue a career that directly benefits children. The Foundation For Allen Schools will use its portion of the proceeds to pay for Allen ISD teacher scholarships. These funds will assist teachers who are attending graduate school during the summer sessions of 2009.
"In addition to the PTA Council and our volunteers, we received so much help from the City of Allen, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Allen Police Department and Keep Allen Beautiful. And we had wonderful sponsorship support from our area businesses," Taylor said. "The tentative date for next year’s Allen Eagle Run is Saturday, March 6, 2010. With such a great response this year, we are looking forward to a fabulous second year!" |
