Pali Elementary Preps for Annual Walk-A-Thon, Now Accepting Donations

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

The annual Walk-A-Thon is set to return to Palisades Charter Elementary School on Friday, April 19—which means fundraising efforts are now underway.

All students at the school will participate in this year’s Walk-A-Thon, which is put on by Palisades Enrichment Programs to support the school.

“On April 19, students will get 20 minutes to complete as many laps as they can on the 1/12th mile school track … but why?” read the event page. “In the weeks leading up to the event, students will collect donation pledges—a promise to give a certain amount per lap (or simply a flat amount). The more laps students run, the more they will raise.”

Donations are tax deductible, and go toward funding additional staff and programming at Pali Elementary, including three additional classroom teachers, classroom aides, music, PE, computer lab and gardening.

“Beyond the deep satisfaction of raising money for Pali,” the page continued, “students will be able to earn many incredible prizes.”

Students will get supporters to sign up between March 11 and April 19—the day of this year’s Walk-A-Thon. This year’s fundraising goal is $50,000.

In 2023, students raised more than $75,000 from over 1,000 donors during the Walk-A-Thon, which took place April 27. More than 400 students participated in the Walk-A-Thon, completing a total of 8,343 laps (more than 695 miles) with 1,500 cups of water distributed.

Last year, fifth-grader Grant Tyler completed the most laps at 37, followed by Alexander Malayil with 35, Peter Cacciapaglia with 34, Michael Gabayan with 33 and Ms. Barbera (a first-grade teacher) with 32.

Palisades Enrichment Programs is a “nonprofit charged with supporting fundraising and community-building efforts for Palisades Charter Elementary School.” The organization prioritizes the facets that it supports based on parent feedback, which is sought every year.

“The majority of PEP’s budget goes to additional staff,” according to the organization’s website. This includes in-class staff, like class size reduction teachers. More than $200,000 goes to hourly in-class aides, according to PEP, which supplement those who are paid by the school.

PEP will also host Pali Elementary’s annual Gala and Auction, which features the theme Interstellar and will take place on May 10 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Jonathan Beach Club. Festivities, planned for adults only, will include drinks, dinner, dancing and a live auction.

Other PEP events that take place throughout the year include the school’s annual Halloween Parade, Yee Haw Day and concerts.

“Your support and the support of our Pali community is greatly appreciated,” event organizer Theresa Diamond concluded.

For more information or to sign up to support, visit paliwalkathon.org.