The Boosterthon Fun Run is a nine-day fitness and leadership program designed to help schools raise needed funds for education while inspiring students to live character-filled lives.

Boosterthon’s new character theme, Epic Adventure, will show 430,000 students this school year how to work together in teams through the adventure actions Encourage, Play, Invite and Celebrate.

“Every day, our team members get to see students across the country embrace their potential to change the world,” said Chris Carneal, Boosterthon founder and president. “Not only do schools reap tremendous benefits in terms of fundraising, but students themselves are challenged daily to live out the adventure actions that will help them succeed in life, in school, and at home.”

As part of the 2011-2012 program, schools nationwide will join Boosterthon in Operation Playground, an initiative that will build playgrounds for underprivileged schools in Guatemala.

Students will see firsthand their efforts not only benefiting their school but also giving students in other parts of the world the opportunity to “play.”

Leading up to the Boosterthon Fun Run event at their school, students are invited to gather pledges for each lap they run.

Along the way, Boosterthon provides fitness rewards such as the PlayDisc, a hand-woven Fair Trade disc made by local Guatemalans.

Boosterthon has a proven track record of helping schools boost funding by more than 75 percent over other traditional methods and executes all aspects of the program from start to finish, taking the workload off parent organizations.

But the Boosterthon Fun Run is more than a fundraiser. The program offers an extensive character curriculum that combines live character presentations, a children’s book, upbeat music, and a read-along mini-movie that includes live action and animation.

“We know that by investing in students, everyone wins,” Carneal said. “We wanted Epic Adventure to be more than just motivational posters on a wall. We worked hard to bring our theme to life on different platforms to create an unforgettable experience for students.”