Nearly 1,000 young runners will test their legs and determination today at the Bloomsday All City Elementary Cross Country Meet at Comstock Park. The meet, which begins about 4:00 p.m., is the culmination of the Elementary Cross Country Program organized in Spokane elementary schools this fall by Active4Youth, a nonprofit that works to provide after-school sports programs for Spokane-area children to combat childhood obesity.
“Bloomsday is proud to once again support this event,” said Lilac Bloomsday Association President Carol Hunter. “We want to continue to create an opportunity for kids to enjoy this lifelong sport.”
This is the fourth year the Lilac Bloomsday Association has sponsored the All City Cross Country Meet. The meet was part of the Spokane School District’s after school sports program until 2003, when it was discontinued due to budget constraints. Active4Youth was able to re-launch the program in 2009 after receiving funds from the Inland Northwest Community Foundation and the Charlotte Martin Foundation. Bloomsday’s sponsorship has also been crucial in restarting the program.
Young runners from Spokane schools have qualified for the Bloomsday All City Meet by either their place or time in the gender and grade division in which they competed at one of two zonal meets. Catholic schools have had their own systems for qualifying runners for the All City Meet. About 50 schools will have runners participating in one of six sections—K/1, 2nd grade, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th.
About Active4Youth (A4Y)
Active4Youth is a local 501(C)(3) nonprofit that works to provide after-school sports programs for Spokane-area children to combat childhood obesity. For more information or to see how you can get involved or make a contribution, please visit Active4Youth’s website, www.active4youth.org.
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