When it comes to outdoor events like a 5K Run/Walk or bike rides through a landscape of rolling hills there is nothing like the annual Race for Riley fundraiser. Now in it’s eighth year, the April 28 event to benefit The Joseph Sams School in Fayetteville will be held again this year at the Serenbe community in the city of Chattahoochee Hills in south Fulton County.
The annual Race for Riley 5K Run/Walk, 1 Mile Run, Tot Trot and Bike Ride fundraiser to be held on April 28 is named for Riley Peek. Event founder Waynette Peek, mother of 10 year-old Riley for whom the event is named, was the impetus for the event that is now in its eighth year.
The family-oriented activities at the event are numerous. But the premier attraction, the 5K Run/Walk, drew more than 1,000 entrants last year from around metro Atlanta along with another 1,000 who came to support the event.
The fundraiser will be held rain or shine, with the 5K Run/Walk beginning at 8:30 a.m. The 1 Mile Run will begin at 9:15 a.m. followed by the Tot Trot at 9:30 a.m.
New to the running event this year will be CHIP timing for hassle-free finishes and no tear-off tags or finish card to fill out.
The event again this year will feature a bike ride through the scenic Chatt Hills area. The bike ride has three courses available, including those covering 13 miles, 32 miles and 65 miles. Bike rides begin at 10 a.m.
Registration at www.active.com prior to April 20 is stronly encouraged. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. The fee for the run is $23 before April 20 and $28 thereafter.
The bike ride is $25 until April 20 and $30 thereafter. The fee for both events is $43 until April 20 and $53 thereafter. There is also a Phantom donation of $25 for those wishing to attend the event but are unable to do so.
Checks should be made payable to The Joseph Sams School c/o Race for Riley, 10685 Hutcheson Ferry Road, Palmetto, GA 30268-2216.
Parking at the Serenbe community will be available on Hutcheson Ferry Road in an area approximately 2,000 feet west of Atlanta Newnan Road. Signs will be posted to guide motorists to the parking area.
For more information call 770-463-0714, email to raceforriley@gmail.com or visit the race website at http://raceforriley.org
Riley’s parents, Chattahoochee Hills residents Waynette and Rodney Peek, in 2006 decided to designate the proceeds to Riley’s school, The Joseph Sams School in Fayetteville. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to the school.
For Rodney and Waynette, the goal of the annual event is simple.
“Our goal is to improve the lives of the children that attend the school,” Waynette said. “From the first day that Riley walked into the her classroom, her quality of life and our peace of mind improved because we had found a safe, loving learning environment for our daughter. Having a place like JSS is a blessing that cannot be adequately described.”
The fundraiser was the brainchild of Waynette, who with no fundraising experience, raised $93,000 the first year. Today Waynette and Rodney, an air traffic controller, and their team of volunteers put in countless hours each year to continue the fundraising effort. Proceeds from the initial events went to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, the organization dedicated to the debilitating, systemic condition with which Riley was diagnosed when she was two years old. Subsequent annual fundraisers designated The Joseph Sams School as the recipient.
The 8th Annual Race for Riley is sponsored by the Delta Pilots Charitable Fund, A New Start Counseling Center and by the Serenbe community. The Bike Ride is sponsored by Trek Bikes of Peachtree City.
