By Kathy Gallant

PACE setting things up for annual fundraiser

Jul 18, 2017 | 5:17 PM

Plans for Meadow Lake’s annual Setting the PACE Race are striding along nicely.

The support-based non-profit, People Advocating for Children with Exceptionalities, are in their ninth year of running this fundraiser.

PACE got its start in 2009 as a small group of families sharing information and resources, and have grown to offering programs and support to families raising children with challenges due to varying abilities, while also providing public education.

Participants can take part in the race in number of ways, including full or half marathon, three, five and 10 kilometre race, or a 100-kilometre bike ride, and people of all abilities are welcome to participate. The race route is Meadow Lake Provincial Park, ending at the Greig Lake day use area. The event takes place on September 9.

Race director Bluesette Campbell said preliminary planning started in spring, but as summer goes on, things will start to get busier. 

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“We’re lining up volunteers, and busy finalizing a couple new changes for this year’s event,” she said. “We try to keep something new and exciting every year.”

One change is having child from a PACE family as a team. Registrants can choose a family/child dedicate their race towards, that will include a picture of the PACE child and a short profile about them. Campbell said it is a way for the community to build strong link to the cause.

“We’re hoping that will bring in a little more connectivity for people,” she said. “If they don’t know a PACE family, when they’re collecting pledges, the can have a face and a name to the [people] they’re supporting.”

PACE is also engaging the business community in a slightly different way this year. Aside from the sponsorships and donations to the event, they will have organizations and businesses host a water station along the race route.

“Every year we have water stations along the race course,” said Campbell. “This year we decided it would be really fun if we ramped those up a little bit, and have music and noisemakers. Home Hardware, Victim Services, Multiworks have signed up so far. They can do whatever they want, some are choosing a theme, but they’re going to mix it up and have fun.”

Being near a decade into the event, Campbell said that the race committee seems to have a good routine down. She said it’s a lot of work and details, but it is worth it.

“It’s such a feel good day, every minute planning for it is so worth it,” she said. “On that particular day, when you see people, it’s like magic.”

The Setting the PACE Race is the group’s main fundraiser, and helps them raise the money they need to offer support and programming for the year, as well as money that helps bring in speakers on various topics surrounding how to best support people with exceptionalities.

“Yes, we provide some services when families need a specific service, we’ll help bring it in or try and offset the cost,” said Campbell. “For the most part, it’s just mental support, to get through initial diagnosis, or struggling time, or finding child care, it’s the background support.”

Campbell said having a run is about getting people active.

“It’s also about giving to support individuals who may not walk, bike or run the same way everyone else does,” she said. “This is a race, but it’s not to beat somebody, it’s a race to support somebody.”

kathy.gallant@jpbg.ca  

On Twitter @ReporterKath