September 2016 charity runs/walks

Ross bridge 8k and health expo

The 2016 Ross Bridge 8K and Health Expo is scheduled for Sept. 10.

The 4.97-mile race is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. in the Ross Bridge Village Center and wind through six of the Ross Bridge neighborhoods. The course includes some trails and finishes at the vintage train station in the village center.

Medals will be given away for the top three finishers in each age group, plus grand prizes for the top male and female. The event also includes entertainment, inflatables and games for kids, and health and wellness vendor booths.

The race is a fundraiser for Alabama Teen Challenge, an organization that provides residential low-cost drug and alcohol recovery programs for people of all ages.

Last year, just fewer than 200 people participated in the 8K, and about 400 people attended the event, which raised about $23,000, said Rachel Roberts, an Alabama Teen Challenge life coach who serves as race and expo coordinator.

“It helps out tremendously,” Roberts said. “It is our biggest fundraiser.”

In the past, the event has been held on Labor Day weekend, but organizers are moving it to the following weekend this year because so many people travel on Labor Day weekend and because Labor Day weekend is a big football weekend, Roberts said.

The cost to register is $25. Runners can register on active.com or on site on race day, beginning at 7 a.m. Runners can pick up their packets on Sept. 9 at the Trak Shak in Homewood from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or on race day at the site.

Updates will be on the Ross Bridge 8K Facebook page.

GIVE Kids the World 5K

The second annual Give Kids the World 5K is being held at the Riverchase Galleria on Sept. 10 at 8 a.m.

The event is organized by the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel as a fundraiser for the Give Kids The World Village, a 70-acre nonprofit resort in central Florida that offers free, weeklong fantasy vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

Last year’s inaugural run drew about 300 people and resulted in a $10,000 donation to the Give Kids The World Village, said Paul Dangel, director of sales and marketing for the Hyatt Regency.

“We just want to see it grow,” Dangel said. “Any growth over last year would be fantastic.”

The Hyatt Regency Birmingham last year donated the third most amount of money to the Give Kids The World Village out of 40 hotels owned by Davidson Hotels and Resorts, he said.

The 5K starts at the Hyatt Regency and makes three laps on Galleria Circle around the Riverchase Galleria. Medals will be given out for top performances in different race groups. There also will be door prizes, music and refreshments.

Registration is $25 and can be done online at gktw5kal.com or on-site on race day.

Head over teal 5k/10k, 1-mile fun run/walk and family fall festival

The seventh annual Head Over Teal races and fall festival are scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon on Sept. 24 in The Preserve subdivision.

The event is a fundraiser for the Laura Crandall Brown Foundation, which works to increase awareness of gynecologic cancers, support research for early detection and provide support for women battling these forms of the disease.

The fundraiser has always had a 5K (3.1-mile race) and last year added the 10K (6.2-mile race), said Doris Moody, a foundation board member. There also is a 1-mile fun run/walk. All the runs wind through the Preserve subdivision.

Organizers also are trying to make the event more of a fall festival and will have children’s inflatable activities, games, face painting, crazy hair, pumpkin painting, crafts, various vendors, a photo booth, live music and a blood drive with LifeSouth.

Last year’s event drew more than 600 participants and raised more than $45,000, and organizers anticipate closer to 800 runners and walkers this year, Moody said.

This year features a new 10K course, she said. There will be free refreshments such as fruit, breakfast items and coffee prior to the race and free beer and pizza afterward, she added.

Bumpus Middle School student Emily Knerr, who is battling a recurrence of ovarian cancer, is expected to sound the horn to begin the races again this year.

The 5K and 10K start at 8 a.m., and the 1-mile fun run is at 9 a.m. Medals will be awarded top finishers in various age groups. Organizers encourage people to park at Prince of Peace Catholic Church and take shuttles to The Preserve.

The registration cost for the 5K is $35 by Aug. 31 and $40 after that date. Registration for the 10K is $40 by Aug. 31 and $45 after that date.

Children ages 13 and younger can register for $20. Team registration (with a minimum of five people) is $30 by Aug. 31 and $35 after that date for the 5K and $35 by Aug. 31 and $40 after that date for the 10K.

Registration can be done online via the Laura Crandall Brown Foundation website at thinkoflaura.org.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation One Walk

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is holding its annual One Walk 5K and 1-mile walk on Sept. 25 at Veterans Park off Valleydale Road in Hoover.

There is no registration fee for the walks, but participants are asked to recruit people to sponsor them on their walk with donations to support research into juvenile diabetes. Check-in for the walks is at 1 p.m., and they start at 2 p.m.

This year, the foundation is partnering with Orange Theory Fitness to have a 5K run as well. Check-in for the run is at 3 p.m., and the run starts at 4 p.m. The run has a registration fee of $25.

Last year, about 600 people participated in the walk, which was down from previous years when about 1,000 people came, said Jennifer Bentley, development coordinator for the Alabama chapter of the foundation.

They raised about $165,000 last year, she said. They are hoping to get participation back up to previous levels this year and have set this year’s fundraising goal at $205,895, according to the foundation’s website.

People are invited to form teams, either personal or corporate, and document their fundraising on the website. Individuals and teams can register at jdrf.org. Click on events and One Walk, type in your zip code and look for the Birmingham One Walk.