Even Keel rocks first P.A.R.T.Y. fun run

Winning the fastest times in eight of the race categories, including the top female in the 10K run, the 21-member team called, "Even Keel Rocks" had a top-notch showing at the P.A.R.T.Y. program's first Fun Run in Folsom. The event held Aug. 20 helped raise funds for expanding the P.A.R.T.Y. program throughout the Sacramento region – now serving 3,000 teens annually. P.A.R.T.Y., whose acronym stands for "Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth" was founded locally in 2007 to promote injury prevention through reality education, enabling youth to recognize risk and make informed choices about activities and behaviors. The mission of P.A.R.T.Y. is particularly poignant to one member of the "Even Keel Rocks" team because just last month her sister's step-son was killed while attempting to climb a 100-foot waterfall. After experiencing first-hand the tragedy of this family death, Meg Conkling reinforced the mission of the P.A.R.T.Y. program."I so wish that my sis' step-son had the chance to participate in the program. Maybe then, he might have thought twice about making that climb and would still be with us today." Since the first P.A.R.T.Y. program in the fall of 2009, more than 1,200 students from Oak Ridge, Folsom and Vista Del Lago high schools have participated in the program. The "Even Keel Rocks" team is a group of 10 families from the Fair Oaks Presbyterian church who gather for fellowship and service. Family church groups were originally formed using names of ships for a maritime theme. Sara Lack was the fastest female runner in the 10K with a finish time of 36 minutes and Sam Scheuer came in second in the men's 10K also finishing in 36 minutes. Karen Lack, Guy Klopp, and Joyce Werner finished first in their age categories in the 10K. In the 5K race, Brian Scheuer, Eric Leuze and Gordon Bones also came in first in their age brackets.