A chill was in the air on the early morning of February 21 as runners took their marks at the starting line of the Davie County S.U.R.F. Board’s annual Popsicle 5K. The runners and members of the Davie County community all gathered at Mocksville Elementary School with a shared purpose: to raise money and break a sweat.
The Popsicle 5K brings the public together to support the future of Davie County by raising funds for youth-led grants. Over 50 volunteers, many of them high schoolers seeking out service hours, turned out for this year’s event. Because the 5K was on the same day as other events at Davie County High School, some people were unable to attend, which made certain aspects of the event more difficult.
“That really meant just a lot of organization ahead of time,” Carden Stroud, co-president of S.U.R.F., says. “That meant a lot of communicating with people who weren’t there the day of, and seeing how I could help them with their task. But once we got to race day, everything ran super smoothly. I was super proud of the work that everyone put in.”
Founded in August 2005 with the goal of launching a youth philanthropy movement, S.U.R.F. is a board completely run by high school students in Davie County. The 5K itself is funded by various community sponsors and is run by volunteers and board members. The responsibilities are divided among different committees, each with its own set of jobs.
“So it’s really just a combined effort of dividing up the work, choosing a leader of each committee, who’s going to be able to organize tasks well, and then just spending time outside of our actual monthly meetings to get all those tasks done,” Stroud says.
For Stroud, one of the most rewarding aspects of the annual event is seeing how many people from around the community continue to come out to support S.U.R.F. and the youth of Davie County. Ava Jane Tomlinson, a senior member of S.U.R.F., echoes this sentiment, though the aspect she finds most rewarding is what comes next.
“Definitely one of the most rewarding things is seeing projects that kids do throughout Davie County that really make an impact,” Tomlinson says. “I know that I was able to help fund that project.”
Throughout the year, the board is part of other small projects, including supporting a Storehouse for Jesus by facilitating food and clothing donations and participating in the annual Bed Race. During the Bed Race, the board members will decorate a bed on wheels and have other members sign up to participate.
“I’ve been able to go to the Storehouse for Jesus to stock shelves and help organize,” Tomlinson says. “I personally really like that, and I think it was a really good way to give back because the people there really needed the help.”
S.U.R.F. does a service day every year—Make a Difference Day—that involves reaching out to other non-profits to see where they can help volunteer. This year, S.U.R.F. collected over 500 pounds of food to help stock the shelves for the 2025 holiday season.
S.U.R.F has funded a total of 13 youth grants since 2023, showing the board’s dedication to the community. Last year, they raised a total of $7,200 to fund five youth-led projects. These projects included Cognition of Davie County, HOSA Club, National Honor Society, PE Department, and Family Promise of Davie County.
The Popsicle 5K is an essential piece of ensuring all these projects come to fruition. Through these grants, S.U.R.F. continues to encourage youth leadership while making a positive impact across Davie County.
