May 24, 2009 A group of kids and parents pounded five miles of pavement during the recent Highmeadow Junior Optimist Club Walkathon, for a
good cause. The May 16 event raised more than $2,000 for the Farmington Area Goodfellows. The club has 18 members, all students at Highmeadow Common Campus in Farmington Hills, who range in age from 5-11. The Junior Optimists is a student-led group, sanctioned by Optimist International, and supported by the Farmington-Farmington Hills Optimist Club. At the elementary school level, Junior Optimist clubs are expected to plan and execute one community service project each year. The walkathon was the first project for the newly formed Highmeadow Optimist Club. In all, 37 children, and 31 parents walked the 5-mile route. Children from Highmeadow Common Campus, Wooddale Elementary School, St. Fabian School, and Dunckel and East middle schools participated in the walk. The Farmington-Farmington Hills Optimist Club staffed “snack stations” every half mile along the route. The kids went through over 150 bottles of water, 100 fruit snacks, 50 bags of chips, and 60 granola bars.
“This may be the first walkathon ever in which participants gained weight during the walk,” joked Richard Lerner, one of the parent leaders for the club. “But, it helped the kids keep their energy levels up, and every one of them finished the 5 mile walk. They were amazing!”