WHITEHALL — Whitehall High School hosted its first-ever Run Like a Viking 5K race Sunday afternoon to raise funds for Shoreline Elementary's Peer to Peer program.
The top three finishers in the race were Zach Kidd, Nick Hanline and Patrick Naulty.
The Peer to Peer program is based on a state Department of Education program called the Statewide Autism Resources and Training (START) Project. Headed by Shoreline social workers Emily MacArthur and Molly Kriesel and special education teacher Jessie Przeworski, the program pairs students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder with those not diagnosed in an effort to help both develop positive social skills.
Zach Kidd smiles as he crosses the finish line of Sunday's Run Like a Viking 5K at Whitehall High School. Kidd was the race winner.
Kriesel said the aim of benefiting both sides of the relationship distinguishes the Peer to Peer program from a Big Brothers Big Sisters type of program. Peer to Peer, which covers kids from pre-kindergarten through second grade, pairs children who are drawn to others socially with those who need a boost developing those social skills.
"If we just pair kids with those who want to help other kids, that's not a friendship; it's a helper," Kriesel said.
Shoreline's Peer to Peer program has been in existence for a few years and has "gotten smarter about fundraising," Kriesel said.
"The first year and a half we were basically borrowing money from whatever pot we could at the school," Kriesel chuckled.
This year, in addition to the 5K, Peer to Peer raised funds through a penny war at the school. The added funds will help the program arrange more ambitious field trips. Rather than go to a city park or something similar as has taken place in the past, Kriesel used Muskegon Luge as an example of a place the program could visit now.
The Run Like a Viking race is intended to be annual and is transferable to other school organizations if others would like to use it as a fundraiser. Kriesel said the Peer to Peer program would happily continue to helm it for its own fundraiser but would also be open to handing it off to other organizations to run.
