BOONE, N.C. — On a cloudy and relatively mild Saturday late in October, costumed creatures gathered on the campus of Appalachian State University for the ninth annual Spooky Duke 5K/10K Race and Costume Contest.

This year, 363 walkers and runners participated, and 75 volunteers helped make the event a success. With sponsorships, donations and participation fees, the event raised over $14,000 in proceeds to benefit the work of Appalachian’s Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country (FSN-HC), which assists regional families who have children with special needs.

A $10,000 matching grant from the Health Foundation Inc. raised the total raised to over $24,000 — about $3,000 more than last year.

The Halloween-themed fundraising and awareness-raising event is a USA Track & Field (USATF)-certified 5K and 10K race with a free costume march and contest in which children, adults and pets can all show off their costumes and share in the fun. Spooky Duke is named in honor of Dr. Charles R. Duke, event sponsor and former dean of Appalachian’s Reich College of Education (RCOE).

Appalachian’s Parent to Parent (FSN-HC), housed in the RCOE, provides free support and information to families who have a premature baby or a child with a disability, an emotional or behavioral challenge, a mental illness or a chronic health condition, and also assists families who are grieving the death of a child. The program serves Alleghany, Ashe, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties.

For more photos of the event, see the albums on the Parent to Parent FSN-HC Facebook page.

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About Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country

Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country (FSN-HC) provides free support, caring connections, information and hope to families who have a premature baby, a child with a disability, an emotional or behavioral challenge, a mental illness or a chronic health condition, and to families who are grieving the death of a child. The program serves seven counties in Western North Carolina: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey. Parent to Parent FSN-HC provides information and tools to help families see the possibilities for their children and turn that potential into reality. Learn more at https://parent2parent.appstate.edu.

About the Reich College of Education

Appalachian State University offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls more than 2,000 students in its bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degree programs, with offerings that span multiple fields — from teacher preparation, counseling, and therapy, to higher education, school and student affairs administration, library science, educational leadership and more. With over 10,000 alumni employed in North Carolina public schools, there is at least one Reich College graduate in every county in the state. Learn more at https://rcoe.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.