Athletes from the Crescenta Valley are invited to put on their running shoes and pound the pavement in support of local schools, nonprofits.

By Mary O’KEEFE

This Saturday the community is invited to run to support Rosemont Middle School.

Running the Foothills 5K, sponsored by the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce, will be held on Saturday with check-in at 7 a.m. and the run beginning at 8 a.m.

This is the third year of the fundraiser for the chamber. The run was the idea of chamber member Neil Ryan who left the chamber board for a while and when he returned brought the 5K with him.

“It is really a great event. You can run early in the morning and then have the rest of the day to do other [things],” Ryan said.

Ryan is an avid runner who participates in about 25 5Ks a year.

“This is probably one of the most difficult courses. It looks like it would be simple and easy but it is up and down hill,” he said.

The beauty of this run is that it benefits the community, he added. “All the money goes back to our kids.”

The fundraiser will help the youth in Crescenta Valley. Part of the money will go to the CV Chamber to help support its scholarship program for local students. Another part will go to support the Rosemont Middle School’s after school sports program. The CV Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coalition will also share in the proceeds.

“Getting people to run should be fairly simple,” Ryan said. And the more that run, the more that will benefit from the fundraiser.

Rosemont Principal Cynthia Livingston started the after school sports program last year, her first year as principal at the school. The program has little to no funding. Volunteer parents, teachers and former students have been helping with coaching and organizing.

“The northern schools receive no funding from the federal government [for this type of program],” Livingston said.

Rosemont Middle and Crescenta Valley High schools do not receive funding because they are not Title One schools. A Title One school may operate as a school-wide program only if a minimum of 40% of the students in the school or residing in the attendance area served by the school are from low-income families [Section 1114(a)(1) of Title I of ESEA], according to California Department of Education.

Livingston, who lives in Crescenta Valley and was principal of Fremont Elementary School for years, has raised her family in CV schools.

“Living and working in this community, I know how important this [type of] program is,” she said.

Middle school is not an easy transition for some students. It is a time when kids can start on their path to high school and beyond. For some, sports can lead them into world where teamwork is emphasized, ease them into social settings and help them adjust to their new academic world.

“It creates a culture of getting involved and getting connected,” Livingston said.

At present, the program is not fee-based and Livingston would like to keep it that way. She envisions football, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, track and even more sport teams in full Rosemont Spartan uniforms, playing for the pride of their school.

To keep this program available to all takes money and the 5K run is a way to start that support.

The 5K sign ups can be done online at www.crescentavalleychamber.org, then click on Running the Foothills 5K, or sign up at the event beginning at 7 a.m. at Two Strike Park. Warm up with Taix Workout Studios and Extreme Boot Camp at 7:45 a.m. The Fun Run, a one mile run for younger children, begins at 7:55 a.m. The 5K Run starts at 8 a.m. and the 5K Walk begins at 8:05 a.m.

Entry fee is $20.

To support the CV Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coalition, write CVDAPC on the “How did you hear about this event” line.

Anyone with questions can contact the CV Chamber of Commerce at (818) 248-4957.

  Mary Okeefe