Three local girls are ecstatic their Hopscotch 4 Hope event helped the less fortunate, while also securing them a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
“Hopscotch 4 Hope was an awesome experience that we will never forget, and it was truly inspiring to know that we were able to help make a difference,” said Kory Melnick, 13, one of the organizers of the event.
Guinness World Records has confirmed the record for the world’s longest hopscotch course is now held by Melnick’s group – Eden Mills’ Step Up 4 Change – and the University of Guelph’s Right To Play and Free The Children clubs.
For three days in September, dozens of young people descended on the community to build the longest hopscotch course in the world, with the aim of breaking the previous record of 5.284km set in Slovenia in 2010.
The students drew 5.506kms of hopscotch squares up and down the streets of the village without a millimetre of blank space between the lines.
On Oct. 1, more than 850 people of all ages came to hop, skip, walk, jump and run the record-breaking course, during the Hopscotch 4 Hope event, a fundraiser for the international Free the Children and Right to Play organizations.
The initiative was organized by three girls from Eden Mills: Melnick and her sister Robin Melnick, 11, and Kamari Brown-Gain, 13. They founded their own organization, Step Up 4 Change and were joined by students from the University of Guelph clubs.
The goal was to raise the funds to support the construction of Kenya’s Kisaruni All Girls Secondary School, and to contribute to other disadvantaged communities there as well.
The project was inspired when the girls attended last year’s Free the Children We Day conference in Waterloo.
Hopscotch 4 Hope raised more than $22,000 for the international project, and $28,000 in in-kind support, thanks to sponsorships, high rates of participation, food and silent auction revenues.
Following the event, the organizers submitted the results and requisite proofs to Guinness officials for assessment and official recognition.
“They require an incredible amount of official documentation and don’t guarantee that you will even hear back from them if you haven’t met all of their requirements for proof,” said Laura Brown, mother of Brown-Gain.
Melnick said, “In my mind, I knew we’d get it [the Guinness confirmation letter] and I think it’s awesome.
“But I’m really proud of the money we raised. That’s what makes me proud.”
Brown-Gain said, “It was a long wait and we’ve been on pins and needles until we heard.”
She added, “I’m not sure we’ll do another hopscotch event, but we’ll definitely do more events.”
