Quick answer. Thirkill Elementary's PTO fun run gives every child, preschool through fourth grade, 20 minutes to run, walk or skip laps after collecting pledges from family and friends. The 17th annual run in 2024 raised about $21,500 with 20 local business sponsors named. After prizes, teachers spend the money from a wish list on classroom tools, STEM, projects, assemblies and field trips.
Thirkill Elementary in Soda Springs, Idaho, serves preschool through fourth grade, and its parent-teacher organization has run the same simple fundraiser for well over a decade: a timed fun run on the school grounds, paid for by family pledges and a long list of hometown business sponsors. The 2024 run was the 17th annual, and the News-Examiner reported it raised about $21,500. The format is the opposite of a race. Every child gets the same 20 minutes, and the money is spent by teachers from a wish list.
Twenty minutes, every child: the format
According to the 2024 article, students ran, walked or skipped for 20 minutes while parents and family members watched and cheered from the sidelines as they completed laps. Before the event, children collected pledges from family and friends. The article does not give a lap length or a lap count.
A fixed time rather than a fixed distance solves a real problem at a preschool-to-fourth-grade school. A four-year-old and a ten-year-old start and finish together, nobody is the last child still on the course, and walking or skipping counts. That fits the Road Runners Club of America's youth running guidance that running for children "should be fun." What still differs by age is how many laps each child completes, and the PTO turns that into a friendly contest by grade (see below).
A separate News-Examiner article on the event, "Thirkill Elementary fun run energizes students for good cause," describes the same lap-based course and adds the event's motto: "Active body. Active mind. Active life." That article carries no visible date, so we cite it for details of the format and goals, not for a particular year.
Pledges, office drop-off and 20 hometown sponsors
The money comes from two places.
- Family pledges. Children ask relatives and friends to pledge before the run. The undated article says donations could be dropped at the school office by check or cash, a low-tech collection method that works when most families live nearby.
- Local business sponsors. The 2024 article names 20 sponsors without describing them. From the names alone, the list includes the local medical center, a Ford dealership, a diner, a pub, a sandwich chain franchise, a real estate firm, an insurance company, the county senior center and a range of other local businesses and employers. For a town the size of Soda Springs, that is a long list, and it shows how far a 17-year tradition reaches beyond school families.
The undated article states a PTO goal of $20,000, and the 2024 total of about $21,500 came in above that figure, though we can't confirm the two refer to the same year. The headline rounds it to "over $21,000"; the body says "about $21,500."
Prizes for laps and for grades
Part of the money buys prizes. In 2024 there were prizes for individual students and for the grades that ran the most laps. The undated article adds prizes for reaching fundraising milestones. Grade-level lap prizes are a smart fit for a timed run: older grades will usually log more laps, but within a grade the comparison is fair, and a whole-grade reward lets a child who walks still share the win. If you copy this, keep rewards for effort and participation visible alongside money milestones; our fun run prize ideas page covers prizes that don't leave kids out.
How the money is spent: a teacher wish list
After prizes, the 2024 proceeds went to a PTO wish list for teachers. Each Thirkill teacher could spend the money in their own classroom on educational tools, STEM programs, projects, assemblies and/or educational field trips. The undated article lists larger shared goals: playground swings, assemblies and learning experiences, and a classroom innovation fund for teachers.
The wish list approach has two advantages for a PTO. Teachers see direct benefit, which makes them willing partners on event day, and parents can be told exactly what their pledge became. The trade-off is that a per-classroom split is harder to aim at one big purchase; Thirkill appears to handle that by naming a few shared projects alongside the classroom money.
Why the fun run moved from spring to fall
The undated article reports that the PTO moved the run from spring to fall. PTO President Amanda Larson explained that "Spring was crazy with field trips, graduation and testing," and fall fit the school calendar better. The 2024 article, published October 11, 2024, is consistent with a fall event. Spring calendars at elementary schools fill with state testing, end-of-year trips and celebrations; a fall run also puts the money in teachers' hands early in the school year, when wish-list spending does the most good. Larson's favorite part, she said, is "seeing how proud the kids are when they run out of the school."
Lessons for a small-school PTO fun run
- Time-box the run. Twenty minutes on a lap course lets preschoolers and fourth graders run together and finish together. The elementary school fun run guide has heat schedules by grade.
- Ask every local business, every year. Twenty named sponsors in a small town didn't happen in one season. Thank them by name in the local paper, as Thirkill's coverage does, and the list renews itself. Start with the sponsorship guide.
- Use grade-level lap prizes so the comparison is fair across ages.
- Let teachers spend it. A wish list tells families exactly where pledges go and keeps teachers invested.
- Keep collection simple. Cash and checks at the office still work in close-knit communities. If you add an online option, track both in one tally; see fun run pledges for flat versus per-lap setups.
- Pick the season that fits your calendar, not the one you inherited.
What the sources don't tell us
Neither article gives participant numbers, lap length, pledge amounts per child, how much of the total came from sponsors versus families, what prizes cost, or net proceeds. The year of the article that states the $20,000 goal and the move to fall is not shown on the page. A 2025 preview in the Caribou County Sun could not be opened. The 17th-annual label implies a first run around 2008 if no year was skipped, but no source says so.
Compare Thirkill with the other fun run case studies, browse documented totals in the results database, or plan your own school run with the fun run fundraising guide.
Frequently asked questions
How long do Thirkill students run in the fun run?
Twenty minutes. Children run, walk or skip laps while families cheer, so the youngest and oldest students start and finish together.
How much did the 2024 Thirkill fun run raise?
About $21,500, according to the News-Examiner; the headline rounded it to over $21,000. The source does not say whether that is before or after prize costs.
Who sponsors the Thirkill fun run?
The 2024 article names 20 local businesses and organizations, from the local medical center and car dealer to restaurants, shops and an insurance agency. Families also give through pledges collected by the children.
Why did Thirkill move its fun run to the fall?
The PTO president said spring was too crowded with field trips, graduation and testing. A fall run also gets wish-list money to teachers early in the school year.
How are the funds divided?
Some money buys prizes for students and for the grades that ran the most laps. The rest goes to a PTO wish list that teachers spend in their classrooms.