2012 Fayette Charity Classic 5K/10K Goes Beyond Uniting Charitable Organizations

Providing Opportunities For All To Get Involved, Make A Difference
Faced with the familiar challenges associated with today’s economic environment, one local charity is thinking outside the box and revamping their annual run/walk fundraiser. What would have been Fayette Senior Services (FSS) 4th annual March For Meals 5K/1mike run/walk, has now been appropriately re-named the “Fayette Charity Classic”. Participation benefits have also extended to other Fayette County 501.c.3 charities to create one unique collaborative fundraising effort.

An exciting new 10K course has been added to the 5K and 2K run/walk. The 10K and 5K courses are USA Track & Field (USATF) certified and qualifiers for the Peachtree Road Race. The Fayette Charity Classic will be held on March 17, 2012 at 8 a.m. at the Fayette County Justice Center complex, 3 Center Drive, Fayetteville, Georgia. Participants can register at www.Active.com or download registration forms and other event information at www.FayetteCharityClassic.org.

Currently there are eight participating charities – Fayette Senior Services, AVPride, Fayette Youth Protection Home, CASA, Real Life Center, Fayette FACTOR, Healing Bridge, and Promise Place. Opportunities are still open to more local charities. Each participating charity must be a Fayette-based 501.c.3, complete a registration form, and provide a minimum of 2 volunteers to assist with the event. In return, $20 of every $30 registration fee goes to the participating charity. Additionally, each will receive 20% of sponsor dollars brought in by the registered charity. Free exhibitor's space at the race day Expo will also be provided to the participating charities.

“Opening up to county-wide charity participation is a unique way to emphasize the UNITY within our CommUNITY,” says Fayette Senior Services CEO, Debbie Britt. She adds “By taking a synergistic approach to a traditional fundraising event we can economize community support, leverage our resources, capitalize on volunteer engagement, and maximize the event's outcome to everyone’s benefit.”

Sponsors play a vital role in the success of the event and for business who want to enhance company awareness, expand market reach, and create good will there are plenty of sponsor opportunities. Presenting sponsors of the 2012 Fayette Charity Classic are C&C Fence, Foundation Sports, Senior Helpers, and The Nutrition Shoppe. Other sponsors include Joe Dion State Farm Insurance, Once Source General Contracting, and Acti-Kare.

The 2012 Fayette Charity Classic will benefit nearly every age group or demographic via the participating charities, and provide means for every individual within our community to participate. For more information about the event including how to become a participating charity, sponsor, or volunteer visit www.fayettecharityclassic.org or call 770-461-0813.

The tagline for the event ‘RUN. WALK. RAISE...’ is a challenge to residents and those affiliated with our community to participate in one capacity or another – if not in the race, then to raise their hand and volunteer to help with the event, make a donation, or leverage their social networks to raise funds and awareness. For that reason, race organizers and participating charities have created a presence for the Fayette Charity Classic on Facebook and Crowdrise, an innovative web-based fundraising platform (www.crowdrise.com/2012FayetteCharityClassic).