By Luke Voogt
Nelson Park students joined partner of Cats captain Joel Selwood and new Run Geelong ambassador, Brit Davis, raising money for sick children on Monday.
“They loved it,” she said. “It was hot though – there were lots of red faces.”
Ms Davis, who is a teacher at the special needs school, described the day as an “awesome initiative” to bring Run Geelong to the kids.
“A lot of them can’t make it or it’s too overwhelming for them,” she said.
“It gives them a chance to participate at a community event but at their school where they’re comfortable.”
Ms Davis will join walkers and runners from across Geelong at the waterfront on Sunday raising funds for Barwon Health’s paediatric rehabilitation services.
“It’s really important we look after our future generation and give them the best care that they can get,” she said.
Fellow Run Geelong supporter Stacey Ciach joined Ms Davis at Nelson Park.
Her daughters Ava and Mia are long-time child ambassadors for the event due to their rare health condition.
“It’s my first year coming out,” she said.
“The kids are so excited – it’s just a really beautiful thing to be a part of.”
Nelson Park had run the event since 2015, teacher Rachael Souter said.
“Because we’re a special school a lot of kids have come through (Geelong’s) special care nursery,” she said.
“All our families have been very generous and supporting – the first year we raised about $700.”
Ms Souter hoped a bit of “star power” would help the school reach its largest total yet.
“Having Brit definitely helps,” she said.
“A lot of staff have been sponsoring kids and a lot have been chasing their own sponsorship outside of school.”
About 80 teachers and staff monitored the students as they ran laps of the school’s oval.
“We’ve got a lot of kids who need extra support – so it’s all hands on deck,” Ms Souter said.
