STAFF REPORT
Members of the Lucerne Valley Majority Rules Club are one step closer to paying for a summer youth conference trip thanks to last Saturday’s seventh annual walkathon fundraiser.
Club members, parents, educators and other members of the community turned for the 10-mile event that started at Lucerne Valley High School and ended at Pioneer Park.
Although it wasn’t officially a race, LVHS baseball players Gavin White and Adam Garcia ran the distance with Garcia getting to the park first.
“It was excellent!” said club adviser Karol Thompson. “I think this is the best and easiest thing to do for the kids.”
The Lucerne Valley Roadrunners cooked a much-appreciated hot dog meal for the walkers, and the Lions Club, the Community Emergency Response Team and Citizens On Patrol members C.F. Rader and F.T. Foote accompanied the participants. Omega provided a Porta Potty for use along the route.
Bernadette Beltran and Francis De La Paz from the county’s Friday Night Live organization, which has partnered with Majority Rules, were on hand to lend their support.
But the fundraiser wasn’t without drama. Volunteers, who were stationed in advance of the walkers, were threatened by a knife-wielding young man. No one was harmed.
“We made an executive decision and moved the kids a block,” said volunteer Jo Richards, who said authorities were called to take care of the matter.
The students are gearing up for the South Central States Youth 2 Youth Conference in Tulsa, Okla. this summer.
For more information on helping the club, call Karol Thompson at 760-927-5904.