I love your brain

Our school has an annual event to raise money to sustain our music program. As an LAUSD Charter school, our already depleted funds were cut even more significantly and our music program was on the ledge. The Walk-N-Roll-A-Thon was born out of desperation and that first year raised nearly $60,000, keeping music in our school, and providing a slush fund for the following year. The 4th annual was this past Friday. The whole event was terrific. I actually chair the event and with the help of lots of wonderful volunteers, we pull off three separate walks throughout the school day. Middle school, kindergarten, and grades 1-5. The kids collect sponsors and then walk around our track to fun soundtracks and get stamped on their lap bibs for each lap. It’s pretty simple, not a lot of overhead, and it’s highly profitable and fun. There are prizes for the highest lap earners in each grade and prizes for any class who has 100% participation. And everyone, parents, teachers, children alike, will agree that the biggest prize is keeping music in our school.

This year, my biggest prize was watching the boy walk four laps around the track with the aid of his para-professional Chelsea. He’s never walked during the event before. He’s usually a roller. This year he wanted to walk and walk he did. I even saw him running a little bit! It was amazing and there were joyful tears from quite a lot of people who saw him moving himself around the track. This just five months after he had hip replacement and reconstructive surgery. This just five months after he had his tendons lengthened. This just five months after hell. I don’t think anyone expected him to be doing so well even five months after the procedures. He was in casts until mid-September and only starting to bear weight in October. I don’t think anyone expected him to be so strong and sure footed. And yet he walked, ran and danced his way around the track – Four Times!! I couldn’t be more proud or inspired by the boy and his wonderful walk…