2026 Jog-A-Thon

McKinley’s 2026 Jog-A-Thon will take place Thursday, October 22. Jog-A-Thon is one of McKinley’s biggest fundraising events, raising funds for our IB Program and Wheel classes such as Art, Ceramics, Dance, Library/STEM, and Spanish. These programs are not funded by the district and are completely supported by fundraising events such as Jog-A-Thon.

Jog-A-Thon T-Shirt Design Contest: August 31–September 4

During the week of August 31–September 4, students will participate in a Jog-A-Thon t-shirt design contest. The winning design will be printed on all Jog-A-Thon t-shirts.

Participation is voluntary. Drawings are completed during class hours and must be done completely by the student. Parents and teachers may not help with the project.

Each class will vote for one winning picture to be submitted for their class. After the top designs across the school are selected, students will vote on the final winning design — every vote counts!

This year’s theme highlights the IB Learner Profile attribute Risk-Taker, encouraging students to work together and explore new ideas.

More information about the 2026 Jog-A-Thon will be coming soon. Questions can be sent to the Jog-A-Thon Committee at jogathonmckinley@gmail.com.

2025 Jog-A-Thon Information

The information below is from the 2025 Jog-A-Thon and is retained for reference. 2026 fundraising details, prizes, schedules, volunteer links, and registration information will be posted when available.

The McKinley Parent Teacher Club’s JOG-A-THON is the school’s BIGGEST fundraiser and
your support is vital. This is the only event where the kids take the lead in raising money
for their school. Did you know that ALL of McKinley’s art, ceramics, dance, & Smart Lab
programs are no longer funded by the school district? The only reason our kids get to
participate in these programs is because we raise the money to fund them.

Prizes
This year’s prizes are Wheel-themed and school wide goals:
● $50,000 – New Playground & Recess Equipment ⚽🏀
● $75,000 – Hip Hop Dance Performance 🕺💃
● $90,000 – Music Performance 🎶
● $100,000 – Magic Show ✨🎩
The top runners and top fundraising classroom will be recognized.

GET SPONSORS!

We are asking students who are able and willing to participate to get their families, friends,
neighbors, and community to sponsor them in the JOG-A-THON. We are asking for flat
donations from sponsors (e.g. $25 for the whole event).

Donations can be made online using debit cards, credit cards or PayPal. We can accept personal checks made out to “McKinley School Foundation” which can be turned into the McKinley PTC lock box in the front office.Please specify “Jog-A-Thon” and your child’s
name/grade in the memo. No cash will be accepted this year.

PledgeStar is our web-based fundraising tool. In addition to being easy to register and use,
PledgeStar takes care of sending sponsor requests via email, notifies you of donations, and
sends thank you messages to sponsors.

REGISTER FOR PLEDGESTAR

  1. Go to http://pledgestar.com/mckinley
  2. Click “Not Registered for this Event?” and enter your name and email address (every family needs to register again each year.

When you finish, the system emails pledge requests to your family and friends allowing them to make secure credit card donations online. You get notified each time a pledge is made, and you can track your pledge progress online.

THE DAY OF THE EVENT

The kids will run laps around the track (approximately 1/6 of a mile per lap). Most students run about 8 to 12 laps, a little more for the older kids.

THIS YEAR’S JOG-A-THON SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS:

  • Grade TK: 8:45 am – 9:00 am (15 minutes)
  • Grades K & 1st: 9:15 am – 9:35 am (20 minutes)
  • Grades 2nd & 3rd: 9:50 am – 10:15 am (25 minutes)
  • Grades 4th & 5th: 10:30 am – 11:00 am (30 minutes)

Staff and parent volunteers will be on the course to ensure that the students do not overexert themselves. Volunteer medical professionals will be on hand to help make sure the kids are okay. In addition, there will be plenty of water and orange slices to keep the kids hydrated.

Families: If your child has any physical restrictions such as asthma or other respiratory problems or even if they just don’t like to run a lot, please let them know it is perfectly okay to walk or sit down if they feel the need. Please notify the office of any special requirements. Due to the large number of children on the track during each heat we encourage families to cheer from the sidelines and not join your child on the track.

T-SHIRTS

All students, teachers and staff will be receiving a FREE Jog-A-Thon t-shirt to wear on the day of the event. The students participated in a t-shirt design contest in their classrooms recently and the final design was voted on by students. Students can wear their shirts to show their McKinley spirit and foster a sense of community.

VOLUNTEERS

We need a lot of volunteers to make this event happen! We need help to set up/clean up, cut oranges, help mark the kids’ laps, hand out water and orange slices during the race, and mist the kids to keep them cool. If you are able to come and help out, it really is a blast!!

If you are a Lap Counter, please submit a McKinley Volunteer Form Category B, TB Test or Risk Assessment Form and your ID card to the front office.

Please check out the SignUp page to volunteer for the event! https://signup.com/go/bLgohiC or scan the QR code

Please email jogathonmckinley@gmail.com with questions!

PAST EVENTS

Jog-A-Thon – October 26, 2023

2023 Prizes

This year’s prizes are Wheel-themed and school wide goals:

  • $50,000: Wiggle Walkway
  • $75,000: Dance Performance
  • $90,000: Extra Recess
  • $100,000: Gaga Ball Pits

The top runners and top fundraising classroom will be recognized.

Past Event Photos

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Page updated September 30, 2024