Physical education is not a filler period. It is not a break from “real learning.” It is, for many kids, the hour of the school day where they move, breathe, compete, cooperate, and learn to regulate themselves in ways that carry directly into every other classroom. And like so many school programs right now, the PE department at STEAM Academy in Lexington, Kentucky is running short on what it needs to do that work well next fall.
So I am asking you directly: would you give $5 or $10 to help a kid skate?
What We’re Raising Money For
The Physical Education and Physical Activity programs at STEAM Academy (Fayette County Public Schools) need support for the 2026–27 school year. We are working to fund updated equipment and activity fees so students can participate fully in PE experiences, including something as simple and joyful as roller skating.
For many of our students, a participation fee is the thing that stands between them and an activity. Keeping that barrier low, or eliminating it entirely, matters. That is what this fundraiser is designed to do.
We are raising money through Booster, a school-focused fundraising platform. Every dollar donated goes directly to supporting physical education programming at STEAM Academy.
We’ve Hit 10 States. Let’s Go National.
Here is something worth celebrating: we have already locked in donations from supporters in 10 states across the country. That is remarkable for a single-school fundraiser; it is proof that people, when they hear a specific and honest ask, will respond.
But there are 40 states still unrepresented on our map, and we have 5 days left in this campaign.
If you live outside Kentucky, and especially if you have never heard of STEAM Academy before today, that is exactly the point. This is not about geography. It is about whether you believe physical education belongs in schools, and whether a few dollars from your budget can make a real difference to a real kid in a real gym class.
We think it can.
Why Physical Education Funding Matters Right Now
School budgets across the country are under pressure. Fayette County Public Schools is navigating a genuine financial crisis, and programs that are not tied to tested subjects are often the first to feel the squeeze. PE is not tested. PE does not generate the kind of political urgency that reading scores do. But the research on physical activity and academic performance is not ambiguous: kids who move learn better, regulate better, and show up more fully to the rest of the school day.
Cutting or underfunding PE is not a neutral act. It has costs, and those costs land hardest on students who do not have access to sports leagues, private recreation centers, or after-school programs outside of school.
A school PE program, funded and equipped, is a form of equity. That is worth $5.
How to Donate
Click the link below and give whatever you can. Five dollars covers a student participation fee. Ten dollars does more. Every dollar is going to a public school PE program that is doing its best to serve kids in Lexington, Kentucky.
When you give, share this post. Tag someone in a state we haven’t hit yet. Use #PEHero and help us turn that map green before the campaign closes.
STEAM Academy is a public school in Lexington, Kentucky, part of Fayette County Public Schools. This fundraiser supports Physical Education and Physical Activity programming for the 2026–27 school year. All donations are processed through Booster, a school fundraising platform. Links redirect to my daughter’s personal promo page for the donation drive.
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