A donation by a local company will help support physical activity and reading in schools across Chatham-Kent.
Greenfield Global presented a cheque for $2,500 to the Defiance Running Club Wednesday evening as part of its RunCK commitment.
Mark Childs, Defiance Running Club president and director of RunCK, says 100% of the funds will go to the Youth Runners Program of Chatham-Kent.
He says the youth program is several years old, but it has now been redesigned into a running for reading program.
"Last year we downsized to three schools to start this new program over to see how it would go," explains Childs. "It went over very well, so we've expanded to 11 schools this season, including a school in Petrolia, Sarnia, and Port Lambton, all the schools in Wallaceburg, and one school in Chatham."
Childs says the funds donated by Greenfield Global will help grow the program.
"The help from the ethanol plant is very much appreciated. It will definitely allow us to keep adding more schools," he says. "Each school that runs, the children get paid 15 cents a kilometre to run during seven weeks. The money raised goes towards buying books for each school."
Childs says children who are active during school tend to get better marks.
"It's a win-win situation as far as helping the children. It settles their mind so they can focus better on school," says Childs. "There has been studies done to prove that it does help with their learning and the physical activity is a reward in itself."