STEP IT UP: East band initiative seeks to generate funds, steps

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, August 23, 2017

If all marching band members wore digital pedometers, it’s possible their daily step counts would be staggering.

On that note, the East Limestone High School marching band is urging the community to participate in the “Get in Step with the Marching Indians” digital step challenge. The challenge began Sunday and runs through Oct. 31.

The band has a goal of 51 million steps.

The contest is being hosted by ChallengeRunner.com. Registration fees are $20 for individuals, $40 for families of three or more and $10 for students and teachers. Once registered, participants choose a team and follow a few steps to authorize their digital tracking device.

The band receives about 99 percent of all registration fees, according to program coordinator Pam Stapleton.

“(ChallengeRunner) has a minimal fee they charge,” she said. “The cost to us is very insignificant.”

East Limestone High School band director Jennifer Janzen said the fundraiser is her favorite.

“If there is one thing we do well this time of year, it’s move,” she said. “A band kid, on a practice day, is going to put in 15,000 steps easily.”

Teams for this year’s competition include Woodwinds, Brass, Guard, Percussion, The Tribe (students) and The Chiefs (teachers and administrators). Business teams are also available. Because the challenge is online, family and friends who do not live locally can also participate.

The band would like all the participation it can get because it — like other bands in Limestone County — rely on self-funding.

“We’re a $150,000 band running on less than half of that amount,” Janzen said. “Fundraising is a fact of life. Thank goodness for our band parents, but people get tired of selling things. We try to do things like this step challenge to keep what we must do to survive, fun.”

For information on how businesses can participate as part of a wellness program, contact Stapleton at pamelastapleton@outlook.com.