Lodi Academy hosts Charity Fun Run to benefit Village
Bright and early Sunday morning the campus at Lodi Academy Schools filled with busy students, parents and community members preparing for this year’s Charity Fun Run.
The 5K and obstacle course challenged participants, aged 5-80, to push themselves over logs, balance beams, muddy army crawls and inflatable climbing challenges. All of this was to celebrate the fundraising that allowed for the presentation of a giant $12,000 check to this year’s beneficiary, the Village.
“All the proceeds of this event go to the charity, not the school itself, highlighting our goal of teaching students to work on behalf of their community without it being for a trip or something for themselves” said Patty Osborne, principal at Lodi SDA Elementary.
The Village, opening in downtown Lodi this week, is a community center for developmentally and intellectually disabled adults. Kathy Piazza, director for the Village, along with volunteers and clients, came and joined in the 5K and had a booth to share with participants what their community center is going to do for local families.
Over the last eight years, Lodi Academy schools, along with more than 1,800 runners, have raised over $72,000 for local support organizations including the Lodi Library Foundation, Grace & Mercy, Lodi One-Eighty youth programs, Lodi House, Lodi Boys & Girls Club and now the Village. This year Lodi Academy celebrates 110 years in Lodi serving students and their families in education and preparation for their future. During that time the school has continued to honor their motto of “The School that Trains for Service,” a core value that teaches students the importance and benefits of a lifestyle that includes regular giving back.
The school plans events and community service days, where the entire school goes out and volunteers at a variety of projects in our community. If you have an organization or project that would be a good fit for Lodi Academy students please call the school and ask to be put on the list of community organizations we help.
This week at Lodi Academy
The Lodi Academy campus has been missing most of its students this week, but the learning hasn’t slowed down! “All of our students are experiencing one of the benefits of being at a small school,” explains John Winslow, principal of Lodi Academy,
“Our sophomore students are off at a biology field station all week. Juniors and seniors are returning from a wonderful jam-packed East Coast History Tour, and freshmen have been spending time visiting fine art and architecture examples of Greek mythological influence on modern society.”