Running for wishes
Runners take off at the “Light-Up the Night” 5k for Make-a-Wish.
At 7:00 p.m. on a Saturday, The sun just started to set. The glow-sticks cracked and everybody took off running. This is how the “Light-Up the Night” Make-a-Wish 5k run started.
Make-a-Wish is a non-profit organization that helps grant wishes to children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. The “Light-Up the Night” 5k was a fundraiser for this organization. This year’s goal was to be able to grant two wishes, costing $6,000 total. As of today, student council doesn’t know how much the run raised. Senior Kelly Fitzpatrick said, “It’s for a greater cause, we keep no money, all of it goes towards Make-a-Wish. North Platte High has been the number one school to raise money for Make-a-Wish out of all of Omaha and Lincoln [schools] too.”
Over 150 people of all ages from North Platte and the surrounding communities participated in the run. Freshman Riley Smith said she felt good even though she’s not a runner. “It’s not really my thing, but it was fun because I know the people that were working it, and they kind of cheered me on. It felt good to step out of my comfort zone.”
All of the runners were given glow-sticks so that they could see in the dark. “I thought it was really neat how they put the lights along the path, and they just incorporated the whole community. I think student council did a really good job,” said Smith.
