Band on the Run is only a few short days away, and for the second year in a row, the recipient of the event’s fundraising is Community Living Huntsville.
“This is the first time ever that Band on the Run has chosen the same recipient twice so we are very excited for our organization,” said Andrea Johnston, manager of community development at Community Living Huntsville.
To encourage donations, individuals from the community pledged to dye their hair blue and green—Community Living’s colours—if they raised a certain amount of funds.
Town and District Councillor Nancy Alcock has already exceeded her goal and plans to dye her hair this Friday before race day.
“I originally had a goal of $500 and I’m proud to say that I’ve beat my target,” said Alcock. “If I pass the $600 mark I will be so pleased.”
Alcock challenged her fellow council members to join the pledge and although they aren’t going to be running or dyeing their hair, many have donated to Alcock’s fund including Mayor Scott Aitchison and Councillor Jason Fitzgerald.
No matter what your challenges or income level may be, we all want to belong somewhere and Community Living helps everyone stay connected and be included.
Councillor Nancy Alcock
Alcock believes that Community Living Huntsville is a crucial organization in Muskoka and wants to continue to raise awareness around inclusivity.
“I had an uncle who was around before organizations like Community Living were around,” said Alcock. “He had developmental disabilities and his job really kept him going and you could see how much it meant to him. Many people with disabilities can’t make connections with employment so organizations like Community Living are so important in order to make sure everyone lives to their fullest potential.”
Alcock will be running the 5K race this Saturday morning (June 9) so keep your eyes peeled for the fresh new blue and green hair she’ll be sporting.
“I’m a little nervous because I haven’t run in a while,” said Alcock. “But I have my new running shoes so I should be all set.”
Joining Alcock in the hair transformation are members of Inclusion in Motion, Community Living Huntsville’s Band on the Run race team.
“So far four members from our race team will be dyeing their hair on Friday but I have a feeling some more may join them,” said Johnston.
Inclusion in Motion is one of the race’s biggest teams and is made up of staff, community members, and individuals that Community Living Huntsville supports.
Their original goal as a team was to raise $2,000 but now that they have nearly reached that, their new goal is to raise $2,500 before Saturday.
On race day, Community Living Huntsville will have a booth set up and, by donation, spectators and racers can get blue and green streaks in their hair.
“We have been meeting to walk together since September 2017 and I’m so proud of how far we’ve come,” said Johnston of the Inclusion in Motion team. “The involvement from everyone on our team has been absolutely amazing.”
Band on the Run is still looking for volunteers for this Saturday. If you can help, you can sign up here.
To pledge or donate to Community Living Huntsville’s Band on the Run fundraising efforts, click here.
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