School spirit was the order of the day at King’s Academy’s second annual Row for Funds event, a dynamic fundraising initiative that brought together the entire student body, faculty and staff for an energetic afternoon of rowing for a good cause.
Held on Commencement Lawn, students and employees were divided into four teams, named after four of the event’s sponsors, and gathered around their team stations to take turns on rowing machines for a total of 45 minutes with the goal of burning the most calories (points) for their team. The winning team that gained the most points set the minimum amount to be donated, in cash, by each of the team sponsors to the Student Life Fund.
The school’s Student Life Fund ensures that King’s Academy students on financial aid — around 43% of the student body — have access to the same opportunities available to other students, guaranteeing an equal educational experience for all King’s students. The fund covers, among other things, the cost of sitting for external examinations like the SAT, university
application fees and various extracurricular activities.
It was a festival-like atmosphere at the Row for Funds event: students and employees enthusiastically cheered on their teammates, encouraging them to keep going to raise the most points; loud, energizing music kept rowers motivated; and delicious food satisfied everyone’s taste buds as they enjoyed a picnic-style lunch in the crisp autumn air.
Not only did the whole community participate in Row for Funds this year, but coordination of the event was also a school-wide initiative with the Employee Wellness Program taking the lead and almost every department involved in some way, including the school’s Parent Council.
Row for Funds was generously supported by six sponsors, including the school’s health partners Medlabs Consultancy and GIG-Insurance, who are providing year-round support to King’s Employee Wellness Program among other school initiatives. In addition to sponsoring the event, MG Motors provided substantial support to the school, as did Del Monte, which
generously provided lunch and refreshments for the event.
Shami Eye Center, another of King’s longtime supporters, was fortunate to back Row for Funds’ winning student team! Students really put their backs into rowing, showing their determination to make sure that the Student Life Fund receives the funds it needs to provide support to their peers. Student commitment to the event didn’t stop there — the event’s sixth sponsor was the student-led initiative Talk.Heal.Be.
With the Shami Eye Center Team burning a total of 1,000 calories, closely followed in calories/points by the MedLabs Team, the GIG Team and the Talk.Heal.Be Team, each of the four team sponsors came through for the Student Life Fund, donating 1,000 JD each for a grand total of 4,000 JD, and ensuring that Row for Funds was an unequivocal success!
“Row for Funds is for the wellness of our community,” said King’s Academy’s Employee Wellness Program Manager Noor Dajani. “It creates and fosters a culture where being active is fun, giving back is a celebration, and the community bond is a treasure.”
LastNovember,theKing’sAcademy communitypulledtogetherto raise money for the Student Life Fund.
