They climbed. They crawled. They ran and they slid. And together the 150 people involved in last Saturday’s Moonson Madness Mudder were able to stay relatively dry while raising roughly $100,000 for Island Pacific School.
“It’s amazing,” head of school Scott Herrington says of the day’s results, both in terms of everyone’s enjoyment and the amount raised. “We are thrilled.”
Inspired by Tough Mudder, the first-time event was a fundraising alternative to the annual gala. Covid restrictions make indoor events challenging and the obstacle course was seen as a fun outdoor replacement — especially since the school already had the perfect location. The excavation for the new Colin Ruloff Community Fieldhouse had been completed and, with November’s rainy weather, organizers thought participants would have lots of mud to slip in. Although those hoping for mud might have been disappointed, the lack of rain gave them the chance socialize after the event.
It was the independent school’s first peer-to-peer event in which participants were asked to raise money from family and friends.
There were at least 35 to 40 teams, Herrington says, and they came in a variety of fanciful costumes.
The money will move the school’s fundraising thermometer much closer to the $400,000 goal. There are talks about whether this should become an annual event.
