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178 Spooky Duke racers help App State raise more than $13,000 for special-needs children

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A family of superheroes participates in Appalachian State University’s virtual 2020 Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest. Photo submitted

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Pets joined in the fun, too, during Appalachian State University’s virtual 2020 Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest. Pictured is Spooky Duke racer Emily Williams, a junior management major from Cary, and her dog, Rhodie. Photo submitted

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A family of superheroes participates in Appalachian State University’s virtual 2020 Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest. Photo submitted

By Rebekah Saylors
Posted Nov. 13, 2020 at 11:30 a.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Participants in Appalachian State University’s 10th annual Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest, held virtually due to the pandemic, walked, ran, biked, rowed, hopscotched and Monster Mashed for a good cause — raising funds to benefit the work of App State’s Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country (FSN-HC), which assists regional families who have children with special needs.

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Pets joined in the fun, too, during Appalachian State University’s virtual 2020 Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest. Pictured is Spooky Duke racer Emily Williams, a junior management major from Cary, and her dog, Rhodie. Photo submitted

Through sponsorships, donations, a silent auction and participation fees, the event raised more than $8,000, with a $5,000 matching grant from The Health Foundation Inc. raising the total to over $13,000. This year, 178 individuals ages 6 to 84 and from across the nation completed either a 1K, 5K or 10K race as part of the event — at their own pace and on their own time from Oct. 19–31.

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Emily Williams, a junior management major from Cary, left, and her roommate, Mallory Jenkins, a sophomore psychology major from Sneads Ferry, participated in Appalachian State University’s virtual 2020 Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest. “We had so much fun!” Williams said. Photo submitted

In addition to the race and costume contest, virtual activities for children, including how to craft Halloween finger puppets and monster bookmarks, were made available via YouTube videos created by senior Morgan Plumley, an elementary education major from Union Mills.

The Halloween-themed fundraising and awareness-raising event is a 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 App State’s Reich College of Education (RCOE).

App State’s Parent to Parent (FSN-HC), housed in 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.

View the complete Spooky Duke 2020 race results.

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Kaaren Hayes, director and outreach coordinator for Appalachian State University’s Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country (FSN-HC), and her dog donned matching bee costumes for the virtual 2020 Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest. Photo submitted

Event sponsors
Hair Raiser ($1,000-plus contribution)
  • RCOE Dean Emeritus Dr. Charles R. Duke.
  • 4 Forty Four.
  • The Health Foundation Inc.
  • Reich College of Education.
Fang-tastics ($500-plus contribution)
  • Be Natural Market.
  • Boone Chocolat.
  • Go Postal in Boone.
  • Ultimate Sound DJ Co.
Jack-o’-Lanterns ($250-plus contribution)
  • Blue Ridge Energy.
  • E&L Church Ornamental and Lawn Care Services.
  • Coe Realty.
  • Graystone Eye.
  • Modern Toyota of Boone.
  • Rich Summit View Cabin Rental.
  • Ross Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram.
Skeletons ($125-plus contribution)
  • AppHealthCare.
  • Blue Ridge Vision.
  • Robert H. Bridgeman, D.D.S.
  • New River Building Supply & Lumber Co.
  • Ray’s Weather Center.
  • Triple P-Positive Parenting Program.
Partners for 2020 Spooky Duke
App State and community organizations
  • App State Campus Dining.
  • App State University Bookstore.
  • Appalachian Ski Mtn.
  • Blowing Rock Art and History Museum.
  • Grandfather Mountain State Park.
  • Grandfather Mountain Nursery Garden Center and Landscaping.
  • Elias Hernandez Woodworking.
  • High Gravity Adventures.
  • Lowe’s Home Improvement.
  • Mellow Mushroom.
  • MieszkoArt.
  • Racing Toes.
Individuals
  • Judith Ann Graham, of St. Augustine, Florida, made and donated face coverings for the 2020 Spooky Duke silent auction. She is the mother of App State alumna Rebekah Saylors ’08, director of marketing, communications and engagement for the Reich College of Education.
  • Sali Gill-Johnson ’83, of Boone, former director of artist relations at App State University. Gill-Johnson donated handmade scarves for the 2020 Spooky Duke silent auction.
  • Trish Kerley, of Taylorsville, made and donated gear shift bags — small pouches that attach to a gear shift and are used to hold items — for the 2020 Spooky Duke silent auction. Kerley is the mother of App State alumna and former Parent to Parent FSN-HC intern Elizabeth Kerley ’10 ’15, who serves as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education.
  • Sarrah Kitchell, of Boone, made and donated face coverings for the 2020 Spooky Duke silent auction. Kitchell is the daughter of Megan Hayes, App State associate vice chancellor and chief communications officer, and the granddaughter of Kaaren Hayes, director and outreach coordinator for App State’s Parent to Parent FSN-HC.

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High Country families benefit from $73K-plus in grant funding awarded to App State Parent to Parent FSN-HC
High Country families benefit from $73K-plus in grant funding awarded to App State Parent to Parent FSN-HC
Oct. 7, 2020

For more than 30 years, App State’s Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country has supported High Country families with special needs children — work made possible by donations and external grant funding. Read on to learn about the organization’s $73,000-plus in grant support for 2019–20.

Read the story
App State’s 2019 Spooky Duke raises over $24K for children with special needs
App State’s 2019 Spooky Duke raises over $24K for children with special needs
Nov. 19, 2019

The ninth annual Spooky Duke Race at App State raised over $24K in support of the university’s Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country, which assists regional families who have children with special needs.

Read the story

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.

Event sponsors
Hair Raiser ($1,000-plus contribution)
  • RCOE Dean Emeritus Dr. Charles R. Duke.
  • 4 Forty Four.
  • The Health Foundation Inc.
  • Reich College of Education.
Fang-tastics ($500-plus contribution)
  • Be Natural Market.
  • Boone Chocolat.
  • Go Postal in Boone.
  • Ultimate Sound DJ Co.
Jack-o’-Lanterns ($250-plus contribution)
  • Blue Ridge Energy.
  • E&L Church Ornamental and Lawn Care Services.
  • Coe Realty.
  • Graystone Eye.
  • Modern Toyota of Boone.
  • Rich Summit View Cabin Rental.
  • Ross Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram.
Skeletons ($125-plus contribution)
  • AppHealthCare.
  • Blue Ridge Vision.
  • Robert H. Bridgeman, D.D.S.
  • New River Building Supply & Lumber Co.
  • Ray’s Weather Center.
  • Triple P-Positive Parenting Program.
Partners for 2020 Spooky Duke
App State and community organizations
  • App State Campus Dining.
  • App State University Bookstore.
  • Appalachian Ski Mtn.
  • Blowing Rock Art and History Museum.
  • Grandfather Mountain State Park.
  • Grandfather Mountain Nursery Garden Center and Landscaping.
  • Elias Hernandez Woodworking.
  • High Gravity Adventures.
  • Lowe’s Home Improvement.
  • Mellow Mushroom.
  • MieszkoArt.
  • Racing Toes.
Individuals
  • Judith Ann Graham, of St. Augustine, Florida, made and donated face coverings for the 2020 Spooky Duke silent auction. She is the mother of App State alumna Rebekah Saylors ’08, director of marketing, communications and engagement for the Reich College of Education.
  • Sali Gill-Johnson ’83, of Boone, former director of artist relations at App State University. Gill-Johnson donated handmade scarves for the 2020 Spooky Duke silent auction.
  • Trish Kerley, of Taylorsville, made and donated gear shift bags — small pouches that attach to a gear shift and are used to hold items — for the 2020 Spooky Duke silent auction. Kerley is the mother of App State alumna and former Parent to Parent FSN-HC intern Elizabeth Kerley ’10 ’15, who serves as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education.
  • Sarrah Kitchell, of Boone, made and donated face coverings for the 2020 Spooky Duke silent auction. Kitchell is the daughter of Megan Hayes, App State associate vice chancellor and chief communications officer, and the granddaughter of Kaaren Hayes, director and outreach coordinator for App State’s Parent to Parent FSN-HC.
High Country families benefit from $73K-plus in grant funding awarded to App State Parent to Parent FSN-HC
High Country families benefit from $73K-plus in grant funding awarded to App State Parent to Parent FSN-HC
Oct. 7, 2020

For more than 30 years, App State’s Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country has supported High Country families with special needs children — work made possible by donations and external grant funding. Read on to learn about the organization’s $73,000-plus in grant support for 2019–20.

Read the story
App State’s 2019 Spooky Duke raises over $24K for children with special needs
App State’s 2019 Spooky Duke raises over $24K for children with special needs
Nov. 19, 2019

The ninth annual Spooky Duke Race at App State raised over $24K in support of the university’s Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country, which assists regional families who have children with special needs.

Read the story

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

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Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
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