As a hot, exhausted young runner neared the end of the Mt. Healthy City Schools Sidewalk Shuffle 5K, the finish line still seemed far away. He was ready to give up, but his friends who had already finished the race had other plans. They ran back to meet him, cheered him on, and helped him finish the race together.
That moment captured the true spirit of WeRUN, an afterschool running and walking club at Mt. Healthy South Elementary School made possible through a partnership between Mt. Healthy City Schools, the Mt. Healthy WeTHRIVE! team, and Trinity Lutheran Church in Mt. Healthy.
Collaboration was natural
Mt. Healthy has been a WeTHRIVE! community since 2014 and the school district joined WeTHRIVE! a few years later. The community team and school wellness team work well together.
Trinity Lutheran is involved in WeTHRIVE!, with members, clergy, and staff serving on the Mt. Healthy WeTHRIVE! team over the years.
Chas Barnard is Trinity Lutheran’s director of children, youth, and community engagement. He and Pastor Aly Baker are both members of the Mt. Healthy WeTHRIVE! team.
“One of the things that Pastor wanted to do was something that promoted physical activity for young people,” Chas says. “This is one of the things that WeTHRIVE! identified as a need in the Mt. Healthy community.”
So the WeTHRIVE! team did some brainstorming and came up with the WeRUN program, which would serve students in grades 3–6.
Mt. Healthy South Elementary School Principal Dr. Taylor Cox and Leslie Touassi, director of student services, got involved to coordinate the program with students, parents, and teachers.
Trinity Lutheran provided volunteer coaches. “We have a bunch of congregation members who are really into running, and so it was just a natural fit,” adds Chas, who is also a runner.
Weekly practices led up to 5K
Once a week for five weeks, 29 students met for WeRUN – they soon started calling it ‘track practice.’ After a snack and some stretching, they ran or walked laps around the track, gradually increasing their endurance each week under the guidance of volunteer coaches. A volunteer nurse wrapped up every practice with a health lesson.
For the sixth week, the students participated in the Sidewalk Shuffle 5K, a walk/run created by the district’s WeTHRIVE! wellness team.
Starting out on the right foot
At the first practice, Chas noticed many of the students didn’t have shoes suitable for running.
“Probably the thing that I’m most proud of is that we were able to find funds through…the church endowment to provide high quality running shoes for each kid involved,” Chas explains.
The Queen City Running Store not only offered a discount for the group, but they also came out to make sure every child got the right size and type of running shoe. Chas says the experience made the students feel important and valued.
A community invests in its kids
Mt. Healthy Mayor Jennifer Moody attends Trinity Lutheran Church and is a longtime Mt. Healthy WeTHRIVE! team member. She brought together local businesses to fund other items, like t-shirts and snacks.
WeRUN sponsors included:
- Mt. Healthy Mayor’s Office
- Native Moon Apothecary
- Neidhard-Young Funeral Home
- Letter Perfect Embroidery & Gifts
This community support helped make the experience memorable for every student. “I think it was important for them to know that there are people in the community who want to know them and provide opportunities for them,” Chas says.
Crossing the finish line together
When race day arrived, everyone was excited. “We had 29 students involved, and I think we had 22 of them show up to the race, which was on a weekend. So we were happy about that,” Chas says.
Volunteer coaches stayed with students throughout the race. Some ran alongside children who wanted to run. Others walked with participants who preferred a slower pace.
“It wasn’t about how fast you ran or anything,” Chas emphasizes. “It was more about just doing something together.”
That philosophy was evident when students who had already finished the race went back to encourage their struggling teammate, helping him cross the finish line surrounded by friends.
Looking ahead
Everyone involved hopes WeRUN will return next year. They’ve talked about expanding the program to Mt. Healthy North Elementary School.
We’re excited to see what the future holds for WeRUN. With so many organizations from different sectors of Mt. Healthy on board, we know the impact will go well beyond the miles logged during practice!