Fun Run Means Something Good for Students in Sunnyvale

It was a turkey trot that was started to do something good for a North Texas animal shelter.

This year, it has evolved into a race helping students in the community express themselves.

The Town of Sunnyvale is getting ready for their third annual Fast and Furriest Turkey Trot which will be on Thanksgiving Day. The 5K and 1-mile fun run benefits the Sunnyvale Animal Shelter. After registering, participants can buy a t-shirt for a $25 donation that goes to the shelter.

“Sunnyvale Town Council Member Kevin Clark proposed the idea of having Sunnyvale Middle School art students participate in an art contest for the t-shirt design,” Erica Wooldridge, with the town said. “I was immediately on board with that idea and thought it would be a great opportunity to plug the students into something that benefits the community as a whole. Council Member Clark reached out to the Sunnyvale Middle School art teacher Laura Pappas and Mrs. Pappas took our vision and ran with it.”

While it was a fun idea for the adults, for many of the kids like Aleena Sojan, who submitted their designs for the contest, it’s about much more.

“Art for me is like an escape from the real world. It’s like my own little portal into an imaginary world,” Sojan said.

Wooldridge says they have already gotten around 170 votes online and are hoping for many more through the voting deadline on Friday, October 15. The town plans to announce the winning design the week of October 18.

Photos: Fun Run Means Something Good for Students in Sunnyvale