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Utah high school athletes join elementary kids with special needs for their school’s annual PTA fundraising run. For Lucas Myrick and Elsa Dent, their school’s annual PTA Fun Run Fundraiser isn’t always fun. Both kids have cerebral palsy and it’s near impossible for them to physically keep up with their classmates.
But for Park Lane Elementary’s event this year, nine-year-old Lucas and Elsa, eight, had some new friends from their local high school come and join them, making the experience a lot more fun for them. A pair of Jordan High School football players pushed Lucas in his wheelchair through the 1.07-mile fun run and the entire Jordan High cross-country team ran alongside Elsa, who ran the whole run using her walker. To make things even better, Lucas got out of his chair and ran the last bit of the run.
Having their new high school buddies with them really changed how both Lucas and Elsa view the event. The crowd cheered as Lucas crossed the finish line and again as Elsa followed close behind. Jordan High School athletic director Joel Sundquist believes the athletes that participated in the Fun Run embody everything they try to instill in their students. "I personally really buy into the idea that the candle loses nothing by lighting another candle;” Sundquist says, “As many candles as we can light, like Lucas' and Elsa's, is a perfect example of that."
Source: KSL