Hundreds of runners are expected to converge Saturday on downtown Rocky Mount to help raise money for a burgeoning local foundation seeking to fund
and promote area nonprofits and schools. Reach Out Rocky Mount, an organization formed last year seeking to boost local charities, will host its first ever Fun Run for Charities downtown. The event, featuring competitive 5k, 10k, 15k races as well as a 1-mile fun run and walk, will begin 9:30 a.m. at the Imperial Center. Nearly 50 local nonprofit organizations that have partnered with Reach Out Rocky Mount will have booths set up at the event, and race participants will have an opportunity to donate or sign up to volunteer with the various organizations. “A lot of people think you have to give hundreds or thousands of dollars to have an impact on your community,” said Lige Daughtridge, board chairman of Reach Out Rocky Mount. “What we’re trying to get across is that, if you just give something &mdash $5 or $10 &mdash it can have an impact, and if we had the majority of our residents give a little, we would have a huge impact.” Organizations that are eligible to participate include all 501(c)3 organizations and those recognized by the government as tax-exempt programs. Schools, nonprofits agencies, faith-based organizations and service clubs that offer outreach programs to residents of Rocky Mount all are eligible, organizing board member Grace Mebane said. “If you take ownership in your community, you’ll start to appreciate your community better and start to take pride in our community,” Daughtridge said. “That’s really what we’re trying to do. We want to bring people together.” Online registration for the fun run and races closed Thursday night. Anyone interested in running Saturday can sign up between noon and 8 p.m. today at the Kate & Billy Harrison Family YMCA or the day of the race at the Imperial Center, organizers said.
The form has errors highlighted in red, please review these entries and try again!