Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County teamed with Extra Mile Fitness’ Championship Race, sponsored by Northwstern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, and held their first 5K on December 6, 2014. As part of this event, the Clubs’ added a family fun run with a twist! Aqua Indiana sponsored the Little Igloo Youth Dash, a one-mile fun run, for children in grades 1st through 5th and their families. As an added bonus, Portage Mayor James Snyder invited every student enrolled in Portage Township Elementary Schools to participate. The school that had the most runners would win the Mayor’s Challenge and earn a traveling trophy cup to display in their school for one year plus a $500 prize to be used toward the school’s healthy lifestyles initiatives.
South Haven Elementary School was the “winner” of this challenge. The school has a running Club and a large number of this group participated in the Little Igloo Youth Dash. On January 26, 2015, Mayor James Snyder presented the honors to the school during an assembly. Also on hand to celebrate the school’s Mayor’s Cup title included Ryan Smiley, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County; Matt Lentz and Lisa Garner of Aqua Indiana; Ron Ranta, Club director of the South Haven Boys & Girls Club; and Amanda Pollard of Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission. In addition to the $500 given by the City of Portage, Aqua Indiana matched this gift providing South Haven Elementary School a $1,000 gift for healthy lifestyles programming!
Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County has been opening doors to GREAT FUTURES for Porter County’s youth since 1971. Clubs are open after school and provide a great place for youth in grades K-12 to meet friends and have fun while in a safe, supervised environment. Clubs are also open during holidays and in the summer. Annual membership is only $35.00. Financial assistance is available to those who qualify. For information on membership, volunteer opportunities, or to make a tax deductible donation to Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County, please contact your local Club, call (219) 464-7282 or visit www.bgcpoco.org. Great Futures Start HERE.