Blaine House had a real zest for fitness.

A decade later, his gusto for wellness carries on at a blazing pace.

About 250 people participated in the 10th annual Raising the House 5K Run and Walk held Saturday in Palmerton.

Held annually each spring, the race is in memory of Blaine House, a Towamensing teacher who died in 2013.

Board member Tamara House said things couldn’t have gone any better.

“We had an excellent turnout, lots of race participants,” House said. “We had a lot of people who also came out on race day, also about 30 virtual runners/walkers participated.”

Along with the 5K, this year’s event expanded to include a free family-oriented block party to celebrate the community of Palmerton.

“We had lots of activities for everybody to do to celebrate our 10th anniversary, everything went over very well,” she said. “We are so happy with how the whole day turned out.”

House was quick to thank Photography by Lynn, “The Doc” from Colossal Radio, Mitchell Hourt, a former student of Blaine’s who did the prayer for the event, the Hourt Family who does all the balloons for the race, the art students from Palmerton Area High School who did the face-painting, Christina Bravo, school social worker, Palmerton Area School District who served as guest speaker and spoke after the race about the importance of the event and everything that Raising the House does for the district, and Dr. Michael Martinez for his contributions as well.

“As well as all of our donors, and anyone who has contributed to Raise the House throughout the year,” she said. “Every contribution is so greatly appreciated, and important to us.”

The funds for the event support the mission of Raising the House to provide financial assistance to students and families in the Palmerton Area School District, while honoring the memory of Blaine House.

House said the 11th annual Raising the House 5K Run and Walk will be held May 10, 2025 in Palmerton.

“A big thank you to everyone,” she said. “This a joint effort, and it was such a great day.”

House noted that they are a volunteer 501c3 nonprofit organization, and that any donations made to Raising the House are tax deductible.

Raising the House provides students and their families within the Palmerton community with a variety of services, including food assistance, scholarships, and educational initiatives.

Raising the House works with the Palmerton Area School District to assist in providing backpacks to students. Over the years, the contents of these backpacks has covered a variety of items, including school supplies, sanitary products, and healthy and perishable foods. To date, Raising the House has supplied backpacks to over 100 students. Donations are suggested. Contact House at tammy@raisingthehouse.org for more information.

The Raising the House Scholarship is awarded to the Palmerton senior or seniors who best exemplify the mission of Raising the House in their everyday lives.

The Raising the House Educational Advancement Grant gives teachers and staff in the Palmerton Area School District the opportunity to receive additional funding for projects, supplies, and educational initiatives that would otherwise be unobtainable with the current funding provided by the school.

?To qualify, the applicant must be an employee of the Palmerton Area School District; funds must be used to advance educational initiatives of students in the Palmerton Area School District; funds must be used in the same academic year in which they are received; and applicants must complete post-grant report on success of project.