WOW! After over a year of zoom meetings, masks, and social distancing it was incredibly special that we could host our first ever (but certainly not our last) fundraising walk/run. With options to run/walk wherever you wanted (“virtual”) or participate “in person” at the Charity Distance Festival on May 8th we had almost 40 participants!
The Charity Distance Festival is staged by Fit and Able Events of Cary to allow participating charities to hold a race/walk without having to host the race themselves. This year there were four participating charities including Soroptimist Raleigh.
For every person that registered to run or walk the 8K or 5K distance the Charity Distance Festival gave us $10. There was also the option for family and friends to make direct donations online (the modern-day version of a “sponsored walk” we remember from our school days!). Through registrations and direct donations in support of our runners and walkers, we raised over $800. This is a significant contribution to our Live Your Dream, Live Your Dream Plus, and Dream It Be It programs that support local women and girls.
In addition to raising funds, we were also able to raise awareness about SI Raleigh by including information in the “swag bag” that all the Distance Festival participants received.
This truly was an event for everyone we had sisters walking together, grandmothers with their children and grandchildren, husbands and wives running together and, mothers with their daughters!
After a hot week, that had some of our walkers happy to make it back to their air-conditioned cars, the weather at the in-person event was perfect!!!! It was wonderful to see Soroptomists and their family members together, in our wonderful teal t-shirts participating and sharing the word about our programs.
For some, it was their first-ever organized race and we also had many prize winners! The grandson of one of our members won his age group at the in-person event– his first ever running trophy! And we also male and female overall winners in the virtual events.
We are already excited for next year – bigger, better, and all in person!!!!!