750 Run in New Balance benefit

  1. Updates

With more than 1,000 people in attendance, the 2012 New Balance 5K Benefiting Playworks raised $12,000 and gave 200 students from 31 Playworks schools the opportunity to participate in their first official race. The warm sun, coupled with volunteers high-fiving participants along the course, made this year’s 5K and 1-mile fun run a true community event.

Playworks also gave partner schools the opportunity to raise money to help pay Playworks school fees in 2012-2013. Coach Mika, the Playworks program coordinator at the Manning Elementary School, was proud to be a part of the event, as well as have the opportunity to bring together her school community in such a unique way. She agreed to get pied in the face if at least 40 people signed up to participate from her school, so it was no surprise she was eating whip cream at the start of the race. 

The school hit their goal, running every day at recess during “Running Club”,and came together in support of Playworks. On the day of the event, Coach Mika ran with students from every grade at her school, ages four to 12. They did cheers at the starting line and high-fived their principal as they ran along the course.

Now every time the students talk about the event at school, they say “Coach Mika! Look at my 5K shirt! I finished!”

More Updates


Coach Q giving a student a high-five
Coach Q giving a student a high-five

March 16, 2023

Celebrating our AmeriCorps Members during AmeriCorps Week ›

This week is AmeriCorps Week, and we want to take a moment to highlight all of our awesome AmeriCorps Coaches serving in Boston Public Schools every single day. Keep reading to hear the wonderful (and hilarious) things that their students have to say about what makes them great Coach T, Hurley K-8 School “My favorite…

February 28, 2023

Games for middle schoolers ›

If you take a second to remember your middle and high school days, it probably looked different than your elementary school memories. One of the biggest differences between elementary school and middle school is the loss of a dedicated recess time. According to American Educator (2017), 90.6% of fifth graders surveyed have a regularly scheduled…

graphic of expansion across geography
graphic of expansion across geography

February 13, 2023

2022-23 Mid Year Report: Expanding and Enhancing ›

Playworks New England programming has continued to expand across New England as we enhance our service models, partnerships, and the ways in which we serve our communities. Your investment in our mission has allowed us to deepen this work and to bring safe and healthy play to thousands of youth across our region, and we…