The Geist Half Marathon Committee awarded a $10,000 check to the Lawrence Township School Foundation (LTSF) on Thurs., Dec. 4. LTSF was the major beneficiary of the inaugural Geist Half Marathon & 5K event held May 17, 2008, which sold out with 4,500 participants.
Over 700 of those runners were students from Lawrence Township schools, which encouraged students to get fit through LTSF’s “Up & Running” after-school program. Students trained two days a week after school with the help of teachers and volunteer mentors. The Geist Half Marathon & 5K was the culminating event of spring training.
The $10,000 from the Geist Half board will support LTSF’s nationally recognized “My Community Gets Healthy” (MCGH) program. In June 2008, Acting U.S. Surgeon General Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson presented the Foundation with a “Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future Champion Award.” This recognized MCGH for combating the increasing problem of childhood obesity. Galson stated that Lawrence Township’s efforts “should serve as a model for others anywhere in this country!”
In addition to the Up & Running program, MCGH provides heart rate monitors and computer equipment that allow teachers and students to track their overall fitness levels and the progress students make in improving their fitness.
For 2009, 16 Lawrence Township schools will be participating in training for the May 16, 2009, Geist Half Marathon & 5K. Please call 317-423-8300 and sponsor a school team for $500!
Christie Love, Foundation Executive Director, notes the significance of the “My Community Gets Healthy” project. “Youth of Lawrence Township will have the opportunity to maintain healthy life styles through this program, and most importantly, this program will continue to impact thousands of children for many years to come!”
The Geist Half Marathon, Inc. is an Indiana non-profit corporation organized to inspire health and wellness in the children surrounding Geist Reservoir. Working closely with the greater Geist community, the Geist Half Marathon raises funds to benefit physical fitness programs being jointly implemented within the schools.
