5K Raises Funds For Public Education, Special Needs Athletes

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A new 5K and Fun Run in downtown Canton will raise money to support public education and special needs athletes.

The Chick-fil-A Connect Race Series 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run, which is scheduled for Aug. 8, will benefit the Cherokee County Educational Foundation (CCEF) and Cherokee County Special Olympics.

Organized by the Chick-fil-A restaurants of Cherokee County, sponsors include, at the Gold level: Cherokee Ford, Credit Union of Georgia, Northside Hospital-Cherokee, Ready Mix, Southeast Restoration Group and The Home Depot; and at the Bronze Level, Goshen Foundation, Nova Engineering and Environmental and Pilgrim’s.

“We hope to see a great turnout of runners – and walkers – who will join us and our sponsors in supporting two great causes,” said Kevin Williams, owner of Chick-fil-A of Canton and Fundraising Chair for CCEF. “It’s a great way to kick off the school year!”

The 5K – with the Chick-fil-A cow among the runners -- begins at 8 a.m. at the Cannon Park gazebo in the heart of downtown followed by the Fun Run at 9 a.m. Registration and packet pick-up begins at 7 a.m. Participants also can pick up packets the night before from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 7, at the Chick-fil-A at The Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta (951 Ridgewalk Parkway, Woodstock).

The event also includes a Family FunZone with free children’s activities and sponsor booths from 7 to 10 a.m.

The entry fee is $25 for the 5K and $15 for the Fun Run and includes a Dri-fit shirt; fees increase by $5 the day of the race. Registration is online at www.cfaraceseries.com.

An awards ceremony will be held following the Fun Run, and in addition to honors for the top runners in various categories, a random drawing will be held and one lucky runner will receive free Chick-fil-A for a year from the Cherokee County restaurants.

The event also offers the opportunity for a Cherokee County School District school to win $1,000. The school with the highest number of race participants will win $1,000.

Everyone who registers for the 5K or Fun Run will receive one ballot on race day, and the school that receives the most votes wins. Phantom runners, who register and pay the race fee but don’t want to participate in the event, can vote, too; they can email their name, runner ID (they’ll receive this in their confirmation email from www.cfaraceseries.com), the school they’re voting for and shirt size (shirts will be available for pick-up at a later date at the CCSD school that they’re supporting).

Downtown Canton traffic will be affected by the event; roads that will be closed during the 5K are: East Main Street, Hospital Circle, Jeanette Street, Main Street, Muriel Street and North Street.

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Image via Patch