Annual Skinny Turkey Race raises awareness

While many will simply stuff their faces this Thanksgiving Day, others will participate in the Skinny Turkey Half Marathon and 5k.  Hundreds of people across the Wakefield community will be coming out to support, raise awareness, and fundraise for Just Think First, which is an organization that assists teens in the everyday challenges that society throws at them.

“We feel like Just Think First is needed because coming to high school is not just about academics,” said Assistant Principal, Vivian Wells.  “It is focuses directly on the child because a lot happens in high school.  This is like walking into a small town everyday.”

Just Think First and FS Series have joined forces to help the community.  A lot of community members have been involved in the race ever since it began in 2013.  The race will continue this year on November 26.  Hundreds of people are expected to participate, whether it be by running or volunteering.  The main focus of the race is to raise awareness for all of the negative factors that affect teenagers today because some choices may lead to premature death.

“The race started because of the deaths of a number of our students,” said FS Series co-owner, Brent Dorenkamp.  “We saw a bad trend happening among students and dying at a young age.”

In order to prevent the many bad factors that come with being a teenager, the students of Wakefield High School have joined the Just Think First Club.  Topics such as violence, sex, drugs, alcohol, gangs, and negative peer pressure are addressed at club meetings.

“There was some resistance [to starting the Just Think First program] because it is painful to talk about,” said Wells.  “However, we felt that this was the time to do it because people would be paying attention to the things that we were talking about and doing.”

Many think that these programs and the Skinny Turkey Race only focus on distracted driving.  While that is a big part of the focus, other issues, such as drugs and gangs, are relative as well.

“It’s so easy to pick up your phone mindlessly when you receive a text,” said senior and officer of the Just Think First Club, Riley Taylor.  “As drivers we need to remember the impact that texts can have.”

This race and the programs that support it have left a major impact on the entire Wakefield community.  It has positively affected everyone and taught many students life lessons.  A few cross country students will be running in the race including senior, Amelia Davidson.

“I always find myself saying ‘be safe!’ before my friends get behind the wheel,” said Davidson.  “I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing that.  Life is so precious and Just Think First emphasizes that.  Even though I will leave Wakefield, I will still carry that idea with me.”

We hope to see everyone at the Skinny Turkey Race supporting Just Think First in order to raise awareness.