Held the last Saturday of every November, this year’s Rudolph Fun Run/Walk raised a substantial amount for the community.
On the morning of Saturday, November 28th, a little over 200 locals gathered in front of the Ormstown Recreation Centre for the 6th annual Rudolph Fun Run/Walk. The fundraiser, which has become a bit of a holiday tradition in the Chateauguay Valley, brings the community together for a great cause—to raise funds towards the purchase of Christmas baskets that are handed out to those in need. This year, participants and sponsors raised close to $3000, exceeding last year’s totals.
Original organizers Sylvie Guerin and Grace Brown decided to put the race together after attending Montreal’s Santa Shuffle, which raises funds for the city’s Salvation Army (Dewittville’s Darlene Legros Schmid joined the team three years ago). Rather than raise money outside of the community, the duo thought that it would be beneficial to the area to hold their own event. The run, which offers participants the option of running or walking a variation of distances, not only raises funds that are distributed locally, but also brings the community together before the real chill of winter settles in. Although, according to Brown, “Like Rudolph, our runners don’t seem to mind the weather, taking in that they only register the morning of the race, making it easy to change their minds!”
This year, more local organizations were involved than ever before. As always, the Ormstown Fire Department was on hand to ensure the safety of the runners as they made their way through the municipality. The race is run entirely by community volunteers (decked out in the traditional race colours of red and green, of course), making it an especially heartfelt effort. Many families made their way to Ormstown for the day—mothers and fathers running along side their children was a common sight on Saturday morning.
In the past, the funds raised from the run have gone to different causes. The second annual run was dedicated to the memory of Yvonne Tannahill, while local charities like Une Affaire de Famille and The Lucky Harvest Project have also benefited from the charitable effort. This year, the Ormstown Lions Club, Huntingdon’s La Bouffe Additionnelle, as well as the municipalities of Howick and Franklin will be receiving the monies raised from the run, which will go towards brightening the holidays for those who need it most.
