Self-esteem on the run

What has more than 800 feet and is often seen running across the countryside of southern Arizona? Participants in the Kiwanis de Amigos Rattlesnake Run funded, in part, by a grant from the Kiwanis International Foundation.

Sponsored annually by the De Amigos, Tucson Kiwanis club, the September event typically draws more than 400 participants from some 30 middle schools throughout the area. (Editor’s note: The 1.6-mile run actually unfolds in Tucson’s Christopher Columbus Park, so the odds of participants actually encountering a rattlesnake are virtually nil.) The event is one of two the club stages every year to help children in grades six through eight hone their athletic abilities and improve themselves in other areas.

“We as a club are committed strongly to providing teams of young athletes an opportunity to compete,” notes Anne Stolcis, who, along with fellow Kiwanian Gary Greene, coordinates the event. “Through sports, kids gain a sense of achievement, increase their self-esteem, and learn the importance of working together as a team. These attributes combine to help create healthy minds, bodies, and spirits which enable young people to become happy, successful adults and contributing members of society.”

This past April, more than 1,000 students from 40 middle schools converged on the University of Arizona’s Roy P. Drachman Track and Field Stadium for the club’s fifth annual Kiwanis de Amigos Relays.

For the rundown on the De Amigos, Tucson club and its many other activities, click here.