KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Independence. Share your story idea with Claire.
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Three fifth-grade boys from Grain Valley are proving that age is just a number when it comes to making a difference in their community.
Oliver, Landon and Logan came up with their big idea on the playground: organize a 5K to raise money for their school and help other kids.
"Our motto, kids helping kids. We want to help kids get smarter," Oliver said.
The trio didn't initially know what they wanted to do, but they knew they wanted to help their community.
"We didn't know what at first, so we thought to do a fundraiser, and we wanted to involve running. So we decided to come up with a 5K," Oliver said.
From the playground, the boys took their idea to their parents, principals and eventually the superintendent to get approval. They have organized the Galaxy Glow 5K Run/Walk to raise money for the Grain Valley Educational Foundation, which provides teacher grants.
"It's for helping, for the Grain Valley Educational Foundation, for teacher grants, and we just wanted to help doing things for the community and giving back to the community and our teachers that helped us," Landon said.
The boys have worked with their parents to plan every detail, from the date and time to designing the logo and creating a promotional video.
They're demonstrating you don't need to be an upperclassman to make a meaningful impact.
"If we can do it, everybody else can do it. And just like it's also the little things that can help," Logan said.
The Galaxy Glow 5K is scheduled for the night of Friday, Sept. 19, at Grain Valley High School. There is a 5K run/walk and a kids' fun run. The boys are seeking participants, volunteers and sponsors for the event.
While the boys don't have a specific fundraising goal, they are determined to make an impact in their community through their "kids helping kids" initiative.
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