The Kids Run Club came back for its sophomore season this July, and thanks to the Port Sydney/Utterson & Area Chamber of Commerce, 12 runners were able to participate for free.
Local teacher Robin Mounsteven founded the Kids Run Club last year after his students showed excitement for running during recess. He brought the club back this summer from July 1 to 12, offering one-hour running sessions to kids ages four to 12. The chamber raised money at a business showcase on May 18, allowing Mounsteven to offer financial aid. Chamber president Mark Beadle said the idea came from the board looking for a way to include business owners who couldn’t make it to the event in person.
“We came up with this idea of a silent auction and thought that we should find a worthy cause in the community to have the proceeds go [to],” Beadle said. “That’s where Robin came into the picture.”
After seeing Mounsteven host the run club and the Mary Lake Marathon, Beadle and the rest of the board thought his group would be a worthwhile candidate for the first year of funding. They wanted to choose something that provided a valuable service to the community while also serving children in the community who wouldn’t otherwise be able to participate.
The chamber is coming up on 40 years of providing services to businesses in the Port Sydney and Utterson area, and part of its mandate is working with groups like the Lions Club and the Mary Lake Association. The board plans to continue hosting the business showcase annually, so Beadle said they hope to support the run club as well as other community groups with future auctions.
Members of the chamber are glad to support children in the community, especially through programs like the Kids Run Club. Beadle said Mounsteven is a fantastic person and teacher, and he knows working with kids is a labour love for him.
“I don’t know how he manages to wrangle however many kids they have in this run club and get them all together and get them running in the same direction, but I gave him full marks for having the fortitude to do it, especially after just finishing the school year and literally having one weekend off before getting right back into it with kids,” Beadle said. “This guy has got to love kids a lot.”
Mounsteven, a teacher at V.K. Greer Memorial Public School in Utterson, said offering financial aid was part of his vision for the club from the beginning. The chamber’s donation has allowed that to become a reality.
“Now, it’s really part of our mandate to allow access to any child who shows an interest, and we have been able to provide that to a dozen different runners,” Mounsteven said. “Growing up, I know that my parents tried their best to always accommodate our needs. Sports was a big part of that, and it’s not cheap.”
Families accessed financial aid in a few ways, but the simplest option was expressing need for support on their run club application. Mounsteven said the partnership with the chamber allowed the club to fulfill an important goal, so he hopes to continue working with them and the local business community.
The $2,341 raised through the auction has covered the costs for 12 runners so far. The club fee for each participant is $90 for one week or $120 for two weeks, which includes certified running instruction, customized programming, a high-visibility t-shirt and an end-of-week celebration.
Another club sponsor, Freshmart, donated fresh fruit for the runners to eat during the sessions each day. Removing barriers to exercise and nutrition for local kids has meant the world to Mounsteven.
“The people of Port Sydney and Utterson are absolutely incredible, and I’m really proud to be a part of the community looking after its youngest members,” he said.
The second round of run club was lucky weather-wise. On sunny days, the trees behind V.K. Greer provided much-needed shade while the rainy days allowed Mounsteven to discuss resilience with the kids. The runners are split up into different time brackets and age groups, so the activities and ideas that mesh with each session are different, he said.
Each one developed its own direction, and part of that was the inclusion of running leaders this year. Eight students who just graduated from Grade 8 got a head start on their required volunteer hours for high school by acting as running leaders. The additional help Mounsteven received this year plus his knowledge of what worked last year set the club in a new and wonderful direction, he said.
Mounsteven confirmed the Kids Run Club will be back for a third summer. The Mary Lake Marathon, the fundraising event he launched in 2021, will also be back for a fourth time, though the details for both events have yet to be determined. He hopes to someday expand the run club to other parts of the year, but for now, he’s proud of the direction the club has taken.
“People want to help, and if you give volunteers the opportunity, they’re going to take hold of it because that’s what community does,” Mounsteven said. “It’s brought the best out of the community is what I’ve taken away from the whole experience.”