Students from a variety of backgrounds came together in the second annual Autism Awareness & Acceptance Month Jog-A-Thon on Apr. 14 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Many students gathered at the Salter Stadium to be a part of something bigger than themselves. 

From middle schoolers to Cross Country runners to high school students across all grade levels, the event was welcoming for folks from all over Arcadia to make new friends and have fun after a long week. 

“I was really excited to go to the Jog-A-Thon because I knew it would be fun! I was looking forward to meeting my middle school teacher and also running with middle schoolers. I knew there would be a good turnout because we had done a good amount of publicity to advertise the event,” said Cross Country team member sophomore Reena Hsieh.

 As the second Jog-A-Thon at Arcadia High School (AHS), the event was a collaboration between the AHS Cross Country team and AHS Peer Mentors, a student-run organization dedicated to the inclusion of students with autism and other disabilities. Like last year, the event raised awareness for people with autism and other disabilities, while also fundraising for the two organizations. This year, the event took place during Autism Awareness month as well. 

“In the months leading up to the event, on most Sundays at 1 p.m., the [Cross Country team] would meet up to discuss the planning and fundraising to ensure everything would go smoothly the day of. We hosted the event last year, so we based most of our planning off of that, and we started planning in February!” said Hsieh.

The event had music, snacks, prizes, and raffles. The prizes that were given away included three Hydroflasks (two 32 oz and one 24 oz), a Nike backpack, a Nike crossbody bag, a burrito blanket as a mystery prize, and AHS Cross Country gear! Everyone who attended enjoyed free otter pops, and the raffle tickets were free and open to all.

Joshua Tran, Senior President of Peer Mentors, was part of the planning committee and had a great time at the event.

“The Jog-A-Thon was definitely a success, and I had so much fun during it. I jogged and walked a total of 14 laps, and it feels great to support the cause, especially as I’m also in Peer Mentors. It was cool seeing middle schoolers from different middle schools and the prizes at the end were definitely super cool,” shared Tran. 

All in all, this event was something for all students at AHS to get excited about! 

“The event was very successful! It was really cool seeing people from different backgrounds participating. The turnout was really good, and our attendance doubled from last year!” stated Hsieh.

Autism Awareness & Acceptance Month Jog-A-Thon, see you next year for the third time!

Photo courtesy of Arcadia DCI Intern Vania Ahmadi