West Fallowfield Christian School (WFCS) will present its annual Falcon Fun Run and auction on the weekend of Friday and Saturday, Oct. 1 and 2, and the community is welcome to participate.

Events will begin on Oct. 1 with the third annual Falcon Fun Run during which participants will be invited to walk or run 1 mile around the WFCS campus. Registration will begin at 4:45 p.m., and the fun run will begin at 5:30 p.m. There will also be a sale of baked goods and a limited quantity of Chick-Fil-A sandwiches to purchase that evening. Those who register for the fun run will receive a T-shirt.

In addition, there will be a preview of the auction items that will be up for bids on Oct. 2. Gift cards will also be available to purchase at face value, and attendees will be able to bid on silent auction items, which will include sports memorabilia.

Oct. 2 will feature the 40th annual live auction beginning at 9 a.m. The auctioneer will be Dave Longenecker from Petersheim & Longenecker Auctioneers, owned by an alumni family, who is volunteering his services for the day.

Jackie Houck, who is event co-chair along with Jen Woltman, said the auction is fast-paced and that WFCS students help out at the event. "It is a fun experience ... it gets exciting," she said. "Some of the older (students) help show the items and deliver them to the winners."

Live auction items will include food, baked goods, themed classroom gift donation baskets, classroom projects created by the students, community donations and teacher experience donations.

"One of the most exciting times is the teacher gifts. All of our teachers donate something. It may be going to a 5K with one of the teachers or lunch with a teacher," explained Houck. "(During a past auction), one of the teachers (provided) lunch once a week for a month for a student and a friend. These are personal one-on-one experiences or things that (the teachers) made. These are special and unique opportunities for the teachers to connect with their students. This builds relationships and helps raise money for the school at the same time."

Also as part of the fundraiser, there will a chance for attendees to win items through a random drawing. There will also be one online auction item - a trip to Chincoteague, Va. "It will include the stay at a property on the water, as well as a boating trip and a gift certificate for dinner," said Houck. "That will be online only." Bids will open on Oct. 2 and will close at midnight on Sunday, Oct. 3.

The goal of the weekend is to raise $30,000. "This keeps the tuition where it's at and makes it affordable for families," said Houck, noting that last year's fundraiser only included a virtual auction. "It's a good opportunity for the community to get reconnected, which is one of the goals that we have since things were not in person last year."

WFCS is located at 795 Fallowfield Road, Atglen. For more information or to register for the Falcon Fun Run, visit http://www.wfcs.org or http://www.facebook.com/westfallowfieldchristianschool or call the school office at 610-593-5011.