Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 7, Issue 6, June 2003

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Fun run to aid playground fund

By JAMES BUSH

Runners and walkers of all ages and abilities are invited to put two miles in for a good cause in the Big Rock Walk and Fun Run, held Saturday, July 12. The run's starting gun will sound at 10 a.m.

The event will benefit Annie's Playground, a fundraising effort to renovate and upgrade the Meadowbrook Community Center outdoor play area. It's a tribute to the memory of Annie Yasuda, who died in 2001 before reaching her third birthday. Because Annie loved visiting playgrounds, parents Glenn and Lauren Yasuda decided to join forces with other community members to benefit the Meadowbrook playground near their home.

The Big Rock Walk and Fun run is sponsored by Maple Leaf Lutheran Church and the two-mile course starts at a big rock at the corner of Northeast 100th Street and 32nd Avenue Northeast (the church's address is 10005 32nd Ave. NE.) The out-and-back course takes runners to Nathan Hale High School, then back to the big rock. There will be prizes for the top two runners (and T-shirts for everyone), plus giveaways of jazz concert tickets and Seattle Seahawks and other Seattle sports team merchandise.

The Annie's Playground effort recently held another successful fundraising event. A May 17 auction at the Meadowbrook Community Center drew about 225 people and raised almost $14,000, reports Lauren Yasuda. The group has made an application for a $86,000 Seattle Neighborhood matching fund grant and has almost raised enough money to match the total amount, she says. "If we raise more, that will be great because there are some things we had to leave out of the playground because we didn't have the budget for it." If the grant is awarded and fully matched with community donations, the total playground renovation budget would be $455,000. A decision on the grant will be made in mid-summer.

Construction for the playground renovation would commence in May 2004, and would be completed by July.

The cost for the Big Rock Walk and Fun Run is $15 advance registration/$10 seniors. Day of race registration will cost $20. Vogel will put an unmanned registration table in the Meadowbrook Community Center on Monday, July 7.

For more information, call 524-2448.