Locally Owned Businesses Hold Fundraiser for Local Meals on Wheels Program
L to R – Peter Dale, The National; Jessica Craft, ACCA Meals on Wheels Program Manager; Heather Sweaney, ACCA Center for Active Living Director; Dani McCall, Total Training Center and Chase Street Yoga, Jennie Deese, ACCA Chief Executive Offices; and Sarah McKinney, ACCA Director of Development and Volunteer Services.
Over 20 locally owned businesses in the Athens area came together on Thanksgiving Day to put on the area’s only local Thanksgiving race. Dani McCall from Total Training Center and Chase Street Yoga was aware that many people from Athens traveled to Atlanta to run in their Thanksgiving Day race so why not have one in Athens that would benefit one of the areas local non-profits. “Total Training is a small local business in Athens. I love to exercise and feel strongly that you should move on the biggest feast day of the year! I thought why not a race to do just that… I asked all of my friends, other small local businesses, to help me raise the money so we could all give back to the community. We felt like sponsoring Meals on Wheels just seemed to fit with Thanksgiving,” stated McCall.
The result – the first annual Give Thanks 8K and the response was overwhelming. The expectation was to have 150 runners but they maxed out the registration at 275 runners showing up on Thanksgiving morning. It was a huge success that raised $5746.81 presented to the Athens Community Council on Aging’s Meals on Wheels program. “We are so grateful for this donation. It will feed approximately 6 older adults on our program for a full year. This money goes a long way and greatly improves the quality of life for these older adults… not only with food but also that socialization they receive with their meal,” stated, Sarah McKinney, Director of Development and Volunteer Services at ACCA.
Local business who sponsored the event were Adams Tile and Terrazzo, A Lafera Hair Salon, Athens Eye Doctors and Surgeons, Athens Orthopedics Clinic, Athens Personal Fitness, Athens Road Runners, Big City Bread/Little City Diner, Clarke Mentor Program, Decorating Den Interiors, Fleet Feet Athens, Healing Arts Centre, Hendershots, Highland Mountain Water, Horizons Physical Therapy, Jittery Joes Coffee, Journey Juice, The National, Studio BNA, Total Training/Chase Street Yoga, TriCoach Georgia, and Wow! Boot Camp.
