Farmingdale High School’s student commons was swarming with tykes on trikes, wheeling around for the Farmingdale Community Summit’s annual trike-a-thon.
Each year, the community summit organizes the trike-a-thon as a fundraiser for Farmingdale families in need. Students participate from the high school’s child development program and Universal Pre-Kindergarten program, by getting friends, families, and neighbors to sponsor them.
Volunteers from the Farmingdale High School’s Child Development Lab and internship classes helped out with this year’s event by encouraging the kids, while preventing any disastrous traffic jams on the track.
“I love it. It’s a great starter for kids who want to go into child development or work with younger kids,” said one volunteer.
Child development classes allow students to learn to teach kids in a pre-kindergarten setting. During the program, students make lesson plans, organize projects for the kids, and gain a better understanding of the skills necessary for effectively working with kids. The
pre-kindergartners involved with the program are children ages 3-4 years old in the Farmingdale School district.
Parents already involved with the program love it: “It’s a great program” said one of the moms attending the race.
The trike-a-thon was a surprisingly simple, fun, and productive activity for the younger kids in the district.
According to program director Lynne Brewer, last year’s trike-a-thon helped raise $1,200 in sponsorships for families in need.
“The trike-a-thon is a fun way to teach kids how to help people,” said Brewer, “and it’s a great way to get the community to come together. That’s one of the reasons I love Farmingdale.”
This year’s trike-a-thon was a huge success with both parents and kids looking forward to next year.
