The Landisville PTO will host its annual Fit Walk fundraiser on Friday, Oct. 13. The event will occur at the quad between the Landisville Primary Center (LPC) and the Landisville Intermediate Center (LIC) on Mumma Drive in Landisville from 9:15 a.m. until the end of the school day.

During the Fit Walk, parents and guardians of students at both elementary schools are invited to walk through the quad. The grades will participate in the fundraiser in 45-minute segments as the students take turns walking through the grass field between the schools. The fundraiser will also include music and entertainment provided by a DJ. Teachers and school staff members traditionally dress in costumes to walk alongside the youngsters as they cross the quad. This year, the Fit Walk fundraiser will be Minions-themed, and educators will wear clothing to resemble the fictional henchmen.

Participating students and teachers receive a unique T-shirt for the Fit Walk every year. This year, the Landisville PTO introduced a contest to allow students to submit designs for the shirt. Although each shirt must display the name of the event and the current year as well as the names of the Fit Walk's sponsors on the back, students were encouraged to get creative to create a design for the front. Each student will receive a shirt with a color that is unique to his or her specific class; teachers will often reuse the Fit Walk shirts to keep track of their students during school assemblies and field trips throughout the year.

The Fit Walk is the Landisville PTO's largest annual fundraiser, and it is the only event where 100% of the monetary donations benefit LPC and LIC. This year, the PTO has set a $25,000 fundraising goal. While other elementary schools in Hempfield School District have an average of 500 students, the total number of students served by the Landisville PTO is greater than 1,200, which results in the group's requiring a higher budget. The high quantity of students in the area is one of the main reasons the two schools were divided between students from kindergarten to third grade and kids from fourth to sixth grade.

The proceeds from the Fit Walk will help the Landisville PTO pay for school supplies, teacher appreciation events, student awards and field trips throughout the year. This year, the organization's budget has been slightly increased to cover the cost of several improvements being made to the playgrounds at LPC and LIC. "For the most part, we try to cover the cost of school supplies so parents don't have to worry about it at the beginning of the year," said April Custer, a volunteer and executive board member of the Landisville PTO. The organizations also operates vending machines at both LPC and LIC, which are stocked with books for children to acquire as a reward for good behavior.

For more information on donating by mail or online, search "Landisville PTO" on Facebook.