By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Hundreds of kindergarteners and first-graders at Alabaster’s Creek View Elementary burst into cheers on Oct. 24 as representatives with the Boosterthon company helped kick off the school’s Fun Run fundraiser.

During the event, the Boosterthon representatives and Thompson Middle School cheerleaders helped to fill the CVES auditorium with excitement in preparation for the run, which will be at the school on Friday, Nov. 2.

Through the event, CVES students will spend the next week-and-a-half collecting monetary pledges from friends and family members, which they will record in a pledge book to turn into their teachers. Each person who pledges will agree to donate a certain amount to the school for every lap the students run during the Nov. 2 event, Boosterthon representatives said.

Over the next several days, the Boosterthon representatives will visit every classroom in the school and teach the kids the importance of a good attitude, leadership and other character lessons, said CVES Principal Brent Byars.

“They will actually visit the classrooms and work on character development, which is great,” Byars said.

This year will mark the first time in several years CVES has worked with Boosterthon to host the fundraiser. Byars said the school chose to work with the company because it handles nearly every aspect of the fundraiser.

“It’s a great program. They handle everything,” Byars said. “Really all we have to do is have some teachers to count the money.”

Byars said Boosterthon has worked to build playgrounds in Guatemala and has hosted runs to raise money for clean water projects in Kenya.

Through the Fun Run program, the kids can earn prizes, such as glasses, a remote-control helicopter and a watch, by obtaining a certain amount of pledges per lap. For every $7 per-lap pledge, Boosterthon also donates a small indoor basketball hoop set to a child at the school and to a child in the hospital.

During the Fun Run event, most students will run between 25-35 laps while Boosterthon employees, teachers and parents cheer them on.

To learn more about the fundraiser program, visit Boosterthon.com.