Dec. 13, 2016
At the report of a starter’s pistol, Hendrickson High School (Pflugerville, Texas) hit the ground running with a new way to raise money by putting the community in touch with its physical education program.
Hendrickson hosted its Hawk Nation IHT Spirit FitFest Sunday afternoon, a fundraising 5K/Kids K fun run and health expo. Entrants got to wear the IHT Zone wrist heart rate monitors during the run and got to see how their heart rate responded with the IHT Spirit System software immediately after finishing. Participants also received the report via email.
“The runners were excited to see their heart rate report as they finished the 5K,” said IHT President and co-founder Jen Ohlson. “You could see the excitement in their faces as they saw what they had accomplished.”
Runners test Zone monitors during FitFest
Hendrickson hosted the FitFest to raise money to purchase class sets of the Zone monitors along with the software. Despite cooler-than-expected temperatures, the event enjoyed a successful debut. The field of runners included students, parents, community members and young children – some of whom ran both the Kids’ K and full 5K – as well as members of Hendrickson’s cross country team.
Before and after the race, participants enjoyed a health expo that included fitness and nutrition stations as well as booths from community sponsors. Runners received shirts and earned other prizes based on their fundraising efforts.
A necessary supplement to PE budget
With the help of FitFest entry fees, pledge-raising by participants, local sponsorships and a grant from the Pflugerville ISD Education Foundation, organizers called the initial event a success.
“The campus and the district all love the idea of adding heart rate monitors to our classes,” said Hendrickson assistant principal Nikki Dickerson, who also served as the volunteer chairman for the event. “We had the support of the Education Foundation, who awarded a grant of almost $1,900 to the cause.”
Dickerson said donations and pledges were still coming in after the event, which helped raise more than the school’s annual PE budget.
FitFest for your school
IHT Spirit FitFest is reserved for schools who’ve made the decision to purchase the IHT ZONE wrist heart rate monitors but need to find funding for the purchase. FitFest provides the school with the ability to showcase the capabilities of the monitors, along with the Spirit System, to community members.
While some FitFest events will be 
fun runs, schools can decide what will work best for their specific communities and tailor the FitFest accordingly. This turn-key event allows schools focus on the key priorities: picking a fun theme, getting the community involved and inspiring students to be the best they can be.
IHT has already done a lot of the heavy lifting, from set-up logistics, to community engagement ideas, important documents for parents, administrators and sponsors, to race day swag and collateral. The FitFest kit includes banners, prizes and other key elements. For more information, contact spirit@ihtusa.com.
