Employee uses family, health motivations to run for a cause

Technology services employee Anthony Melton runs in the 2015 Chevron Houston Marathon while wearing a shirt with the name “Colton” on it. Melton finished the marathon in honor of his cousin’s nephew, Colton, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2014.

By Joel Weckerly

At 3:30 in the morning, the streets of Sugar Land are mostly quiet. The occasional car will zip past technology services employee Anthony Melton, whose dark-morning runs have become routine. No music guides him through the miles of sidewalk; only the rhythm of his feet against pavement and thoughts of loved ones.

“No headphones,” Melton said. “I just think about my family, my kids, and the person I’m running for.”

Melton, who took up running a few years ago as a way to stay healthy and keep up with his kids, ran the 2014 Chevron Houston Marathon as a personal goal. As he set out to run the 2015 marathon with a cause in mind, one fell into his lap. His cousin’s nephew, Colton, was diagnosed with leukemia in the summer of 2014, and Melton joined Team in Training to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

The battle that 2-year-old Colton waged provided additional motivation for Melton, who would follow updates on his family’s website.

“It gave me an extra boost,” Melton said. “This kid, he’s fighting. Not only him, but other individuals with that disease. If they can do that, why can’t I get up at 3:30, 4 in the morning and just run?

Melton set an LLS fund raising goal of $1,600, and shattered the mark with a total of $3,600 raised for the cause. Several of his technology co-workers supported the effort, and two of them—Jamay Johnson and Connie Butcher—even attended the race to cheer on their team member.

With Colton and his two sons (5 ½ and 1 ½ years old, respectively) on his mind throughout the 26.2 miles, Melton improved his time by 12 minutes from 2014.

“Every time I finish a race like that, I tear up because I think about my kids,” he said. “The way I see it, every time I run, it makes me healthier to be around long for them. When I start the race I make a little video basically talking to my kids, explaining ‘This is why daddy’s doing this.’”

Melton has even inspired co-workers to join him in being active. One of them, Austen Chang, is training to run a triathlon with Melton in October. The officemates just completed a 10-mile run on Aug. 9 to prepare. 

Anthony Melton is joined by instructional technology employees Jamay Johnson, left, and Connie Butcher, who supported him during his Chevron Houston Marathon performance.

 

Fellow employees who have either run with Melton or attended one of his races include Frankie Jackson, Larry Barrios, Paula Ross, Jay Johnson, Derly Buentello, Kenneth Gibson, Michelle Campos, Amanda Medau, Cassandra Behr and Richard Kurtz.

The 41-year-old Melton has already established fund raising and time goals for the 2016 Chevron Houston Marathon, but the cause he is running for will be slightly different this time around.

“I will still be running for Colton,” he said, “but I’ll be running for him as a survivor. He still has to go in and get checkups, but as of this year, he has beaten leukemia.”

---

For more information about Team In Training, visit www.teamintraining.org

To visit Anthony’s fund raiser page, visit: http://pages.teamintraining.org/txg/chvrnhou16/AMelton

Anthony Melton stops for a photo with his wife, children and friends including technology co-worker Larry Barrios, far right. Melton said he gets emotional every time he completes a race and thinks about his family.

Pennies for Patients

Fourth-grade students in the classrooms of (L-R) Latrice Martin, Nikia Canton, Lauren Turner and Kyanna Williams raised the most money during Francone's Pennies for Patients fundraiser. 

Francone ES held a campaign to raise money for the Pennies for Patients foundation during February. Pennies for Patients is a nationwide charity event that gives students the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. The money raised benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. Francone raised a total of $2,865.

The following classrooms raised more than $100 each:

Erica Kent's and Christina Sanchez's first-grade classes; 

Rita Flores' second-grade class;

Felicia Worchesik's third-grade class; and

Susan Moschella's fifth-grade class.

Superintendent Fun Run Registration

Online registration is still open for the Superheroes for Kids Fun Run, set for Feb. 21 at the Berry Center. The fun-filled community event will feature several food trucks, over 30 vendor booths and attractions for all ages, including a toddler’s sidekick race, bounce houses, bungee jump and rock wall. The event raises funds for the Cy-Fair Educational Foundation (CFEF) and generated over $34,000 during its inaugural first year. 

Participants can help raise additional money for the CFEF by taking a brief test drive of the new Ram 1500 truck at the event. For every test drive, Northwest Dodge will donate $20 to the foundation.

More information about this event can be found on the district website.

#CFISDFunRun Giveaway

You could win a football signed by Houston Texans safety D.J. Swearinger! Simply use the #‎CFISDFunRun hashtag through Feb. 20 and tell us your Real-Life Superhero using Facebook or Twitter. Your name will be entered into a drawing for the ball at the 2nd Annual CFISD Superintendent Fun Run, Saturday, Feb. 21 at the Berry Center. Limit one entry per person. 

Online registration is still open for the Superheroes for Kids Fun Run. More information about this event can be found on the district website.

Fun Run Spirit Day Fundraisers

The Grant Road Orange Leaf and Copperfield Peter Piper Pizza are partnering with CFISD to help support the 2015 Superintendent Fun Run. Please join us in supporting this cause. Mention the Fun Run when visiting on the dates below.


Orange Leaf
January 16 and 19
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
View the Flyer

Peter Piper Pizza
January 22
4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
View the Flyer

Northwest Assistance Ministries

As part of the season of giving, the CFISD human resource, business and finance and communication departments sponsored an inter-department fundraiser. A total of $680 was collected, along with multiple boxes of food, toys and personal hygiene products. All donations were given to Northwest Assistance Ministries. 

2014 Heart Walk

CFISD had 51 teams of staff, students and family members participate in the annual Heart Walk on Nov. 8, raising approximately $14,000 to date. Donations are still being accepted at www.nwharrisheartwalk.org.

Cy Ridge HS students hand out water bottles at the community event on Nov. 8.

Students represent PALs, Peer Assistance and Leadership program, at the 2014 Heart Walk.

Event attendees join CFISD high school dance groups near the DJ stage, one of the attractions at the event. 

Sock Hop

Keith ES celebrated its annual Sock Hop family event on Oct. 24. Principal Cheryl Fisher said it was the largest and most profitable to-date. Through donations from sponsors and a fundraising auction, the event generated approximately $27,000 for classroom needs and staff development. Keith ES staff plan, organize and run this event each year. 

The event started during the school day as students and staff dressed in 1950s-inspired outfits and enjoyed the rehearsals of the fourth- and fifth-grade music classes. In the evening, parents were invited to participate in a music program. This year, music instructional specialist David Kastor taught his 5th-grade students how to play a selection of 50s songs on acoustic guitar. 

"The Keith Sock Hop is not your typical school event," Fisher said. "It is a family experience that all ages enjoy. We celebrated our 10th Anniversary at Keith in August, and our annual Sock Hop is a tradition that the whole Keith community comes together for." 

Parents join fourth- and fifth-grade students for a musical program during the Keith ES Sock Hop on Oct. 24.

Spillane MS Fundraiser

Spillane MS is putting a unique spin on a classic fundraising event. Registration is open to the community and all funds raised will benefit the school's performing arts department. The Cypress Creek Mirror recently highlighted the event.

More information on registration can be found online. The event will be held Nov. 22.

Health Expo

Representatives from Say Ahhh! Pediatric Dentistry interact with visitors at the inaugural CFISD Health Expo on Oct. 11 at the Berry Center. More than 2,800 guests attended the community-wide event.

CFISD raised more than $10,000 for the Health Organization of Physical Educators (H.O.P.E.) scholarship at the CFISD Health Expo, held Oct. 11 at the Berry Center. 

More than 2,800 visitors attended the Health Expo, which offered numerous health and wellness opportunities for CFISD parents, employees and the surrounding community. Event sponsors were Memorial Hermann, Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, Bridgeland, Next Level Urgent Care, the Cy-Fair Federal Credit Uncion and Shield Bearer.

“The success of the Health Expo was a result of the partnership of all the CFISD departments and the surrounding community,” said Kristina Perez, director of community programs. “We accomplished our goal of equipping visitors with health and safety knowledge while they enjoyed an enjoyable and relaxing atmosphere.”

Student performances took place every 15 minutes, featuring choirs, dancing groups and martial arts demonstrations. 

Many business vendors offered interactive booths for visitors. At the H-E-B booth, community coordinator Marti Owens and Cypress Market showtime manager Chris Mszar gave cooking demonstrations and distributed samples of organic popcorn and H-E-Buddy whole grain grahams.

“It was a great event that we were proud to participate in. Physical education is one of the pillars we love to support at H-E-B,” Owens said. “We were amazed at some of the questions the students had. They were very informed and interested in nutrition.”

Perez said she is already looking forward to the second annual Health Expo next year. 

“We have received nothing but compliments, but we certainly intend on making it a bigger and better annual event,” Perez said. “There were so many different aspects to the Health Expo—there was something for everybody.”

Health Expo visitors had the opportunity to walk laps around the second floor concourse with “superheroes” like Batgirl, Ashley Adams. 

H-E-B community coordinator Marti Owens, left, and Cypress Market showtime manager Chris Mszar create a healthy blend of vegetables and fruits to distribute to visitors to their booth at the inaugural CFISD Health Expo.

The Sampson ES choir, under the direction of Adrienne Applewhite, performs for the Health Expo crowd.

CFISD students visit the CFISD Police Department booth, where guests learned safety tips from CFPD officers. 

Heart Walk 2014: Heart Facts

Edit (11/5/14): Location for this event has changed to the Berry Center. More information can be found at www.nwharrisheartwalk.org.

Source: AHA

The annual Heart Walk is scheduled for Nov. 8 at Lone Star College—CyFair. District teams can register at www.nwharrisheartwalk.org. This event is in support of the American Heart Association, the largest voluntary health organization working to prevent, treat and defeat heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. More information on this organization can be found at facebook.com/AHAlivehealthy.

If you have any questions regarding the 2014 Heart Walk, call 281-897-4103.

Source: AHA

Heart Walk 2014

For the past several years, CFISD has supported the American Heart Association by participating in the annual Northwest Harris County Heart Walk. The Heart Walk is scheduled for Nov. 8 at Lone Star College—CyFair. District teams can register at www.nwharrisheartwalk.org. If you have any questions regarding the event, call 281-897-4103. 

Campbell MS Fundraising Competition

Campbell MS principal Dr. Cheryl Henry accepts the Ice Bucket Challenge.  

Campbell MS students and staff recently held a grade-level competition to raise money for local residents who deal with ALS. A total of $1,000 was raised in three days. The theme of the competition was Put Your Money Where Your Ice Is. All proceeds will be donated to the Brigance Brigade Foundation. 

View the video of Campbell MS principal Dr. Cheryl Henry accepting the Ice Bucket Challenge on YouTube.

Cy-Fair HS ALS Awareness Pep Rally

by Kevin Corken

Diane Bennett is joined by her family at the recent Cy-Fair HS pep rally.

Cy-Fair HS held a contest to determine who would participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Students and staff voted by making donations in support of their favorite teacher or administrator. The contest, organized by the BCTV Club, collected more than $500 in donations for the ALS Association.

At the pep rally on Aug. 29, principal Mike Smith and associate principal Candace McCown were each drenched with a bucket of ice water in front of the student body.

Joining in the pep rally was Diane Bennett, who was diagnosed with ALS two years ago. She has represented the ALS Association before Congress and at an Astros game. Diane is the mother of two Cy-Fair HS Alumni, Julie Bennett Ko, class of 2001, and Mary Bennett, class of 2004.  The Bennett sisters, who came from Indiana to be with their mother at the pep rally, were also accompanied by their father, Michael Bennett.

Edit 9/15/14: Watch a video about this event on the CFTV YouTube channel.