The Phelps 5K - a community endeavor!
At the Hawaiian station, Alexander Galt High School and Sunnyside Elementary School volunteers dressed in Hawaiian shirts, hula skirts and leis, cheered on the runners and threw colourful chalk.
This past Saturday, the streets of Stanstead hummed with activity and fraternity as hundreds of people came out to participate in the Phelps 5K. Among the first out were the Phelps Helps team, staff and volunteers, Michael Sudlow and Stanstead mayor Jody Stone, putting into place all the requisite trappings: signage and cones, tables and tents, and for the finish line an inflatable arch complete with bubble machines. Not long after, our community partners arrived to help set up and run the three stations of the Fun Run. These were our local schools, including Stanstead College who generously made time for the run even though they were celebrating their 150th anniversary that same day. Last but certainly not the least, came the participants, the runners and the walkers - two-hundred and twentythree in all, raring to go. We were off to the races!
The Phelps 5K was a traditional race to test one’s athleticism, to compete against others and to win a medal, but it was also a race of a different kind. It was also a race for the kids in our community, a race with the kids of the community! Just over half of the participants were children and teens. Watching the runners approach down the tracks, it was amazing to witness the intergenerational diversity of the more “serious” runners - adults, teens and younger kids in running gear - along with families with young kids wearing princess costumes, dresses, sandals, whatever their hearts desired, but just as keen and athletic. It was a wonderful way for Phelps to celebrate their 10 year birthday.
At the Hawaiian station, Alexander Galt High School and Sunnyside Elementary School volunteers dressed in Hawaiian shirts, hula skirts and leis, cheered on the runners and threw colourful chalk. At the disco station which was festooned with disco balls and glittering streamers with disco music blasting, runners were welcomed by Jardin-des-frontières Elementary School volunteers in disco hats and glittering shirts. And at the Bootcamp station, the fun runners ran an obstacle course prepared by the lively Stanstead College team, jumping through hoops, racing around pylons and finally doing the limbo under a rope. The kids and their families had big smiles on their faces throughout, and by the end of the race all were decorated in the colours of the rainbow.
Back at the finish line, the race completed and medals awarded, more community partners were busy with their own activities. In attendance were: Sunnyside Community Learning Centre/sunnyseed Garden, the Stanstead Recreational Association, Solidart, La taverne du Gamer, Haskell Free Library & Opera House and Monica Sisco. The Colby Curtis museum was also present and had set up an arts and crafts table. Visitors were encouraged to write cards in honour of Phelps Helps 10th anniversary. One Grade 6 student wrote, “Happy 10th year in Phelps Helps. I will see you next year.” In the fields around the school, Bishop’s College School played sports games with the kids, tug-of war, soccer, velcro axe-throwing and Jenga. 20 local businesses played an important part by sponsoring the race, including generous donations from Granit Design and the Stanstead Duty Free Boutique. This race was a full-on community initiative and a celebration of this community, especially the families and youth of Stanstead.
The Phelps Helps team would like to thank everyone who came out to participate in the 5k, the race participants themselves, the hardworking volunteers, our elected officials, the Stanstead Town staff, and all our supportive community partners!
Phelps Aide Phelps Helps was founded in 2012 and has grown organically from a single high school tutoring program to six unique programs, providing the Stanstead area with free educational and career support. For more information or to volunteer, please email us at info@phelpshelps.ca, visit our website www.phelpshelps.ca or call our offices at 819-704-0799.