2026/2027 Fun Run Is Here!

Spartan families — start your stretching. The Sunrise Elementary Fun Run is back, and this year we're chasing our most ambitious goal yet:

Anyone who has stood on our blacktop playground in August knows the problem — there's almost no shade out there. A permanent structure fixes that for good, serving every Spartan who walks onto this campus for the next twenty years. We're still gathering final bids, so the number isn't locked in yet, but it means every dollar matters.

The most powerful thing you can do isn't necessarily donating more — it's sharing your student's PledgeStar page with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and neighbors.

Wait — didn't we just do this?

You're not imagining it. We wrapped up last year's Fun Run at the end of the school year, and here weare again just a few months later. We want to be upfront about that, because we know it feels fast.

Here's why we moved it: the Fun Run is far and away our biggest fundraiser of the year!

When it lands in the spring, we spend most of the year waiting on the money that funds everything else. By moving it to the front of the calendar, we can set the tone for the entire school year — fund programs when teachers actually need them, plan with real numbers instead of hopeful ones, and give our students the benefit of those dollars for a full nine months instead of a few weeks.

So yes, it's soon. This is a one-time shift, and from here forward the Fun Run lives at the start of the year, right where it does the most good.

Key dates

Prizes

Prizes stack as your student's total grows, from a wristband just for registering up to a camera or scooter at $1,000. Prizes go out every Friday based on Wednesday's totals, so

early donations pay off faster.

School-wide prizes — we unlock these together

These aren't individual prizes. They're unlocked by our combined school total, which means every dollar any student raises helps every other student get there. Kids love these, and they're a great way to get your student cheering for their classmates.

Don't leave company matching on the table!

This is the most overlooked way to double your impact, and it costs you nothing extra.

Thousands of employers match charitable donations — often dollar for dollar, sometimes 2:1. PledgeStar has matching built right in, so you can flag a donation as eligible for a match when it's made,and PledgeStar helps route the paperwork.

Here's the part people don't expect: company matches often take weeks or even months to process. That's fine. Even if the matching funds arrive after our fundraising window closes, they still count toward your student's prize tier. A $500 donation that gets matched becomes $1,000 —and your student moves up accordingly whenever that match lands.

How to check if your employer matches:

• Search your company intranet for "matching gifts," "employee giving," or "corporate giving"

• Ask your HR or benefits team — this is a standard question and they'll know

• Use the matching-gift lookup inside PledgeStar when you make your donation

• Tell your donors to check too! Grandparents who are still working, aunts, uncles, and family friends may all have matching programs

You'll typically need our legal name and tax ID number to submit a match request:

Legal name: Sunrise Elementary PFO

EIN: 27-0609600

How to sign up

Registration takes about five minutes at sunrise.pledgestar.com — create your family account (or sign in if you're a returning family), add your student(s) with teacher and grade, then add 10-15 family and friends to your contact list. PledgeStar sends them a personalized link automatically.

Register on PledgeStar → 

Prefer to donate by check? Email us at info@sunrisepfo.org and we'll walk you through it.

Questions?

Reach out to Sunrise PFO at info@sunrisepfo.org or the front office. Full race-day logistics, run times, and volunteer sign-ups — will go out in a follow-up email closer to each run date.