Walking for a cause

16th annual Walkathon raises funds for St. Gabriel School

The entire St. Gabriel School student body laced up their walking shoes and united to support and improve their own school in the spirit of fitness during the school’s 16th annual Walkathon on May 6. It rained that day outside, but inside Grizzlies walked with smiles and laughter, stated a news release from the Concord Townshipbased school.

This amazing community-building event has raised more than $830,000 in the last 15 years and has funded numerous capital improvements including playground, updated restrooms, technological advancements and improved building safety. This year, money raised will be used toward the final phase of renovating the original 1963 classrooms, the release said.

The Walkathon also celebrated the artistic talent of the student body. Ryder Gorman, seventh-grader, designed a poster illustrating the Grizzlies Racing to Finish Renovations slogan. This poster inspired the final design on the T-shirts that students wore the day of the walkathon.

This event infuses a spirit of stewardship. On the first lap of the walk, Grizzlies drop off a donated item for the St. Gabriel Food Pantry with over 600 nonperishable food donations gathered.

“We are blessed,” said Rev. Father Fred Pausche, pastor of the church. “We want to not only share our blessings with those in need, but show our youth to do the same in the spirit of Jesus’ love.”

“I am grateful for the generous support of the community sponsoring our students in this Walkathon,” said St. Gabriel School Principal Robert Kumazec. “This event has had such a positive impact on our school over the years and has empowered our students to realize what a difference they can make at their own school and in the community. When everyone pulls together and takes a little ownership, all those little pieces come together to make a big impact. We also are blessed with awesome parent support each and every year. Although the rain kept the Walkathon indoors this year, parents and teachers brainstormed ways to bring the fun inside and our students had a blast. A secondary lesson we all learned together is how to overcome challenges with teamwork and how to make lemonade out of lemons.”

SUBMITTED On the first lap of the walk, Grizzlies drop off a donated item for the St. Gabriel Food Pantry with over 600 nonperishable food donations gathered.

SUBMITTED St. Gabriel School held its annual Walkathon.