The first annual Race for a Place to Call Home 5K Run/Walk to benefit Project 16:49 will be held Saturday, August 21 at Riverside Park in Janesville. Check-in begins at 6:00 AM, and the first runners will take off at 7:30 AM. Walkers will start after all runners are on the course.
Professional chip timing will be provided for runners. Trophies will be awarded to the top three mens and womens finishers. As a special challenge, some runners may choose to attempt to complete the race in 16 minutes and 49 seconds or less. The first to do so will win a $100 cash prize.
People can register online at: runsignup.com/Race/WI/Janesville/1649RunHome5K. Registration is $35 per person, and includes a race t-shirt, running bib, and finisher medal with lanyard. Groups of 6 or more registering together are $30 per person. Children 12 and under, accompanied by an adult, may participate free.
“In exploring ways to make up for lost special event revenue, one of our board members recruited a small group of volunteers and started working on a 5K for us,” said Project 16:49 Executive Director Tammy DeGarmo. “We loved the idea because it offers something outdoors, health conscious and family friendly.”
Sponsors of the event include: Gold Sponsor – Blackhawk Community Credit Union; Silver Sponsor – Stateline Mental Health Services; and Bronze Sponsors – Angus-Young Architects/Engineers, Dreier Family Dental, and US Bank.
Proceeds from the event support Project 16:49’s mission of empowering Rock County’s unaccompanied homeless youth to take action to achieve their goals. Project 16:49 is a year-round resource, providing basic needs and other assistance to ensure these youth have access to the services and support they need to complete their high school education and/or increase their self-sufficiency as they transition to adulthood and independent living. The organization also operates two transitional living homes that offer life-changing opportunities for youth ages 17-21. More than 300 unaccompanied homeless youth are identified in Rock County each year
Donations to support local unaccompanied homeless youth can be made online at www.project1649.org/donate or by mail to: Project 16:49, 2911 Carrousel Lane, Janesville, WI 53545.
