Charity Walks Blog

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

A crowd of people assembled on a Saturday morning in Fredericksburg, Virginia in support of AIDS awareness. The event was the Fredericksburg, VA 5K AIDS Awareness Walk & Run. It was held at the Cannon Ridge Golf Course on Saturday, June 26, 2010.

It was a fun event. The event appeared to go very smooth and looked easy. However, that only happens when a significant amount of planning and preparation take place. There was a large number of volunteers available to direct traffic, register runners and walkers, as well as a number of additional duties required to carry out a successful athletic charity event.

Runners and walkers paid a registration fee to sign up for the event. T-shirts were sold online in advance of the event. Proceeds raised from the charity walk/run event support Home Of Miracles and Embraces (HOME). The funds will be used to assist children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and other prevention and Intervention initiatives regarding the myths and truths of HIV/AIDS throughout our communities.

Above are some of the photos I captured at the event.

Go to http://iwannagohome.org for more information about HOME. Be sure to read “Ozzy’s Journey” while you are exploring the website. You will be touched by his story and the vision he has.

Thanks,

Technorati Tags: Aids Awareness, Aids Prevention, Cannon Ridge, Charity Event, Fredericksburg Va, Fredericksburg Virginia, Hiv, Hiv Aids, Hiv Prevention, Home Of Miracles, Runners, Walkers

There have been several articles and blog posts written lately suggesting that there are too many charity runs and walks. One of these posts is at http://rwdaily.runnersworld.com/2010/05/running-toward-an-awareness-overload.html.

I decided to examine the online community calendar of my local newspaper in Fredericksburg, Virginia. For today, the events listed include:

• 17 music events
• 4 art exhibits
• 3 theater events
• 2 book signings

Is it likely that people will complain about the promotion of too many music events? Art exhibits? I doubt it.

It is recognized that people have different tastes in types of music and art so multiple events on a given day are expected. So why isn’t it recognized that people have different passions regarding causes? Why isn’t it recognized that these charity events help provide nonprofit organizations with money, volunteers, public awareness, advocacy and partnerships with community businesses that are needed to make a difference?

What isn’t discussed is how many people are participating in these events. What isn’t discussed is how successful they are.

If there was true awareness overload, participation would dwindle, donations would evaporate, and sponsors would disappear. But that isn’t the case for most of these events. These events require hard work by many nonprofit staff and volunteers. They would be canceled if there wasn’t a good return on investment.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

Thanks,

Photo credit: ramzi hashisho

Technorati Tags: Advocacy, charity events, charity walks, Community Calendar, Fredericksburg Virginia, Music Events, Nonprofit Organizations, Nonprofit Staff, Partnerships, Passions, Public Awareness, Return On Investment, Volunteers

I attended the Walk MS charity walk event in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It was held at James Monroe High School on April 10, 2010.

Over 400 walkers participated and $36,000 was raised through this event (with several more weeks of fundraising to go) to support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Participants of all ages were in attendance.

The event was fun! It had some great elements that I am sure required a significant amount of planning by the staff and volunteers. Some of those elements included:

• Music
• Raffle
• Sponsor booths
• Food (including pizza at the end of the walk)
• Tattoos (temporary of course)
• Banner signing
• Dog contest
• Decorations

Safety was not forgotten. There was a first aid station at the event, stations along the route and a local motorcycle group monitored the walkers as they walked the scenic route through historic Fredericksburg.

Virginia Senator Edd Houck was one of the VIPs in attendance. Two things surprised me about his participation. First, his speech was motivational and had nothing to do with politics. Second, he participated in the walk in support of his daughter who was diagnosed with MS a few years ago. He was an excellent “celebrity” for this charity walk.

Check out the photos below that I captured at the event. Go to http://www.IWalkforMS.org to learn more about the MS Walk.

Thanks,

Technorati Tags: Charity Event, charity walk, charity walks, Edd Houck, Fredericksburg Virginia, James Monroe High School, Ms Walk, Multiple Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Multiple Sclerosis, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Volunteers, walk event, Walkers

There are unlimited ways for teams to raise money for charity walks. This morning I attended a charity event that was hosted by a charity walk team made up of young people. The event was a pancake breakfast.

Applebee’s in Fredericksburg, Virginia opened their doors on a Saturday morning and made plates of pancakes and sausage for the hungry people showing up to show their support. The team, Lorraine’s Little Angels, served the food with a smile.

People showed up who had some involvement with the Arthritis Walks. Some people showed up because they wanted to support a great cause. Others even showed up from the hotel across the street because they were hungry. Regardless of the reason, everyone had a great time and contributed to an important cause.

What are some ways you have used to raise money for charity walks? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Thanks,

p.s. Go to http://llakids.com to learn more about this team and their fundraising activities. Go to http://LetsMoveTogether.org to find an Arthritis Walk in your area.

Technorati Tags: Arthritis, arthritis walks, Charity Event, charity walks, Fredericksburg Virginia, Little Angels, Lorraine, Pancakes, Raise Money, Saturday Morning, Young People