May 4, 2026
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Get ready to lace up your sneakers! Our favorite community fundraiser is just around the corner. The Knox Walk, a 5km walkathon, returns on Friday, May 29, bringing the whole school together raise funds for John Knox Christian School. Read on for more information:
The Knox Walk
The Knox Walk takes students all the way to beautiful Queen’s Park and back. Elementary students and secondary students will depart from their respective campuses at 12:45pm heading for Queen’s Park. Refreshments will be served at each campus after the walk, which is expected to be complete by 2:15pm. 5km can be arduous for some students, so families are encouraged to head out on some practice walks in the coming weeks. A detailed route map will be sent home the week before the walk. Kindergarten students will go on their own special walk to Leaf Park.
Safety is a priority! Students will be walking with teachers, staff, and parent volunteers. The New Westminster Police Department will help us at busy intersections. First aid attendants will be joining us on the walk. Everyone participating in the walk should wear a red shirt (like a red JKCS PE tshirt, available for $10 at the elementary campus front office), take a water bottle, and wear a hat and sunscreen if the sun is shining.
Why We Do the Knox Walk
It is the 21st anniversary of the Knox Walk! To celebrate this milestone, our goal is to raise $210,000 in support of “Play It Forward,” a multi-year giving campaign dedicated to the future of JKCS. This ambitious $1 million initiative primarily focuses on transforming our outdoor play spaces with an additional commitment to strengthening our school’s financial foundation through debt reduction.
The elementary campus is buzzing with excitement about a new place to play! We are preparing for a complete transformation of our beloved back play area. Flooded fields, loose gravel, and aging playground equipment will be replaced with green and modern play spaces. The new design features:
- A wilderness play space for imaginative exploration.
- A modern playground.
- A high-quality turf field for year-round action.
Stay tuned: an artistic rendering of this beautiful new space is coming soon!
At secondary, the work has already begun. Following the successful addition of our popular Gaga Ball pit, new picnic tables, and enhanced fencing, our next priority is the courtyard. We plan to add a custom covering to provide students with a comfortable, sheltered outdoor space they can enjoy regardless of the weather.
Reflecting on our recent growth, the last major capital investment at JKCS brought us our stunning secondary campus. By allocating a portion of the Play It Forward campaign to debt reduction, we are ensuring that our school remains resilient, adaptable, and fiscally sound. This commitment safeguards our mission to provide high-quality Christian education for generations to come.
The 2026 Knox Walk will propel the Play It Forward campaign to the $500,000 mark effectively reaching 50% of our total $1 million goal!
We invite you to join our generous JKCS community. Let’s help our students thrive, play, and grow in spaces designed just for them.
How Students Can Participate
Each student is challenged to raise $200 for the Knox Walk. Students can connect with neighbours, family members, church friends, or find other creative ways to raise money! For fundraising inspiration, we can look at students’ creative ideas from years past: violin concerts in the park, lemonade stands on a sunny Saturday, or hosting a car wash with friends. Send in photos of your ideas for the newsletter!
Once again, we are using an easy online fundraising site: www.knoxwalk.com. Students can sign up to create a fundraising page and provide the link to family and friends for online donations. This week students will receive Knox Walk postcards to give to donors – extras are available at the office. Additionally, donors can visit the site and search for students by name. For donors who prefer to give via cheque or cash, students can collect these donations and track them using Knox Walk Cash or Cheque Donation Form. All donations are eligible for a donation tax receipt for their full value.
Parent Volunteers
We hope every family will participate in the walk, whether it is supporting their child(ren)’s fundraising efforts at home, walking with a class, volunteering at a Fun Station in Queen’s Park, or at the refreshment station back at school. Volunteer with the elementary or secondary campus.
The Fun Part!
These fun incentives will get students even more excited about the walk!
- Nine individual prizes are up for grabs: There are three grade-group categories: Primary, Intermediate, and Secondary. The individual prizes are $100 to the student’s choice of Lego, Chapters, Nike or Aritzia.
- In each category the student with the greatest number of sponsors, and the student with the greatest dollar value raised will each get a prize.All students in each grade category who raise $200 or more will be entered in a draw for additional prizes.
- Only donations submitted by May 29 are eligible for these prizes; late donations will not be considered.
- Elementary class prizes: In our two grade categories, K-3 and 4-6, the class that collectively raises the most money per grade group will be awarded a pizza party!
- Secondary class prizes: It’s a homeroom battle! The homeroom in each grade group that collectively raises the most money will be awarded a pizza party, 100 spirit points and a free casual day!
- And…if we as a school reach our $210,000 goal, we will have a special assembly and make some of your favourite JKCS teachers participate in The Extreme Flavour Showdown, a mystery eating challenge including the “Hottest Hot Sauce” and “Sourest Candy” on Earth!
Watch the newsletter over the coming weeks for important Knox Walk announcements. We hope that you and your child(ren) are looking forward to this fun community event that takes us into God’s beautiful creation for an afternoon!
With thanks,
Arusha Vegt
Director of Advancement