Save The Date! B.F. Day Move-A-Thon Friday, May 8, 2026

Event Day Overview

On event day, each grade gets a chance to run, walk, and be silly around a course, counting laps. It is a day of joyous community, fun, and support while moving our bodies. The course is about 1/12th of a mile, and most students do 10-25 laps. Each participant will have a lanyard that will be marked every time they complete a lap. Watch for packets with more information that will be distributed April 24 to students.

Event Day Schedule

• 8:10 – 8:50 a.m. Preschool
• 8:55 – 9:35 a.m. Kindergarten
• 9:40 – 10:20 a.m. First Grade
• 10:25 – 11:05 a.m. Fourth Grade
• 11:55 a.m. – 12:35 p.m. Second Grade
• 12:40 – 1:20 p.m. Third Grade
• 1:25 – 2:05 p.m. Fifth Grade

Cheering & Volunteering

Everyone is welcome to come and cheer. Some even run or walk with their student. There are also many roles for volunteers, like passing out and/or wearing costumes, running the bubble machine, marking lanyards as students go by. You can sign up at bit.ly/movevol to volunteer on event day. Please note that all volunteers have to have completed the SPS volunteer application process. 

Fundraising Info

Finding Sponsors: Before the May 8 event, students can ask family and friends to sponsor them. Donations can be flat rate (e.g. $25) or by the lap (e.g. $2/lap). In addition, a group of parents and community members came together to create a pledge to sponsor all B.F. Day students, which is reflected on the Move-A-Thon envelope.

Asking for sponsorship can be intimidating, but it is also a great way to give people an opportunity to help the school in a very concrete way and a way for students to be able to be included in the effort to support their school. Help your student approach sponsors by writing a script together, practicing and starting with someone friendly and familiar. Collecting Pledges & Donations: On April 24, each child will receive an envelope to record pledges and to collect pledges made with cash or check (made payable to BF Day PTSA). For online/credit card donations, we’re using a platform to help reach remote friends and family so they can give quickly and easily.

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Annual Move-A-Thon Details

The annual Move‑A‑Thon returns on Friday, May 8, 2026 and brings together students, families, and neighbors for one of B.F. Day’s most joyful community‑building traditions. This event invites every Sun Dragon to run, walk, or dance, while moving their way around the course while raising funds that directly support school programs. As the event gets closer, we’ll circle back with event day details like timing, costumes, bubbles and how to volunteer the day of the event. We’re planning a lively, heartwarming day that celebrates movement, community, and school spirit.

We do have three pre-event asks: Group Lap Pledges, Business and Community Sponsors, and Committee Leads.

Call For Group Pledges

Each year, parents organize a collective pledge from the community to ensure that everystudent is supported. Participants in the group pledge to sponsor every lap completed by every child, reinforcing a sense of belonging and shared accomplishment across the school. While many students also receive pledges from friends, relatives, and neighbors outside the school community, the group pledge ensures that all students know they are being cheered and that their efforts are helping the school.

Community members are invited to join this year’s group pledge by contributing one penny (or more) per student per lap. Last year, students completed approximately 7,750 laps, which would translate to a donation of about $77 for a one‑penny pledge, $154 for a two‑penny pledge, etc. The goal is to finalize the group pledge list in time to be printed on the pledge envelopes students bring home. Please contact Cheryl at hlavac.cheryl@gmail.com if you would like to join the Group Lap Pledge.

Call For Sponsors

The Move‑A‑Thon offers a meaningful opportunity for local businesses to support B.F. Day students. If you know of a company, organization, or neighborhood business that may be interested in sponsoring or contributing to the event, please reach out to Jahna at fundraising@bfdayptsa.org. Community partnerships help strengthen the event and deepen connections between the school and the broader Wallingford  and Fremont neighborhoods.

Call For Committee Leads

The core of the committee is parents of graduating 5th Grade Sun Dragons – we will need help in the future to keep this community building and fundraising event going. A special thanks to Cheryl Hlavac, mom to a fifth grade Sun Dragon and two B.F. Day alums, for leading the event and putting the “fun” in the “Fun Run” for so many years. If you are interested in being involved in a bigger way, please reach out to Jahna at fundraising@bfdayptsa.org or Cheryl at hlavac.cheryl@gmail.com to learn more.

How Funds Are Used

This community-building fundraiser is organized each spring by the PTSA because our school relies on donations to fund staff positions & appreciation, Jump Start, classroom supplies, academic enrichment, school events and more. The fall Direct Drive asks families for support, and the Move-A-Thon creates an opportunity for friends and community members to help B.F. Day continue to be a school that both inspires and supports our community & students. 

Incentives

The classes with the highest percentage of returned envelopes and the highest number of laps per student will win a classroom party of their choosing! Every student who returns their envelope will be entered into a drawing to with a gift card for a local treat. If the whole school works together and returns 80% of their envelopes – well, we don’t want to ruin the surprise, but it will be epic!

GO SUN DRAGONS!!

As of April 24, 2026