Centerville Track team collects books for Children's Medical Center

Sometimes when things go well, they go VERY well.  That was the case last spring when the Centerville Track and Field athletes sponsored the first Race2Read.  The Race2Read is a friendly competition between the Centerville Track teams and the Wayne High School Track teams to collect books for the patients at Children’s Medical Center.  The teams set a goal last year to collect 1,000 books.  But in the end, they took 2,862 books to Children’s Medical Center.  Is there any way to top that?

 

With your help, the team hopes to give that number a RUN for the money!  During the months of March and April, each Centerville school will have a donation box in the IMC for students to donate new or gently used books for the patients at Children’s Medical Center.   The Centerville IMC Directors are happy to support and encourage this fun competition!  Track team members will be visiting the Primary Villages to read to and with students, and promote the importance of reading in our lives.

 

The track team is off to a great start this year, having already set 5 indoor track records this season.  The outdoor season will start at the Elk Relays on Saturday, March 28^th. 

 

Coach Matt Somerlot is pleased to have 21 varsity letter winners returning from the 2008 season, with three young men having already signed letters of intent to race in college next season.  Shawn Roberts plans to go to Georgia Tech, Eric Schmidt intends to go to Mississippi State, and Logan Wright will be competing for Ohio University. 

 

With 186 boys at practice every day, Centerville Track has a lot going on!  The captains for the boy’s team this year are: Matt Daly, Andrew Eslinger, Brian Ingham, Nick Kern, Bryan Miller and Shawn Roberts.  For more information, visit the web site at http://www.elkstrack.com .

 

Don’t forget, when you are doing your spring bookshelf cleaning, please consider donating the children’s or young adult books your children have finished reading to this worthy project.  The patients also enjoy coloring books and game books, like word searches or crossword puzzles.  Physicians at CMC write prescriptions for parents to read to their child.  The child gets to select a book from the Half Pint Library to take home with them.  The real goal of course, is to promote a love or reading and provide some escape time from the reality of disease or injury.

 

The track teams would like to invite everyone to join them on May 6^th at 5 p.m. in Huber Heights for the Warrior-Elk Challenge.  Admission to the dual meet is a new or gently used children’s book.  Last year we were amazed at the number of books we collected as admission to the meet.  We look forward to seeing many parents and their children in the stands this year, too.  Last year, unfortunately, the Warriors took home the trophy-flag.  This year the Elks plan to capture the flag!  Come and cheer for the Elks on the track and in the field!