CROP Run Raises Charity Funds

Thu, Oct  11, 2007 - By Spencer Ruffner, Team NordicSkiRacer

The 1st Annual NE Lenawee CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) Run was held on October 6,2007 in Macon, Michigan. Participation was low for the 10K event but increased in number for the 5k.event. Even with the limited number of participants, $230 dollars was raised from the $10 dollar entrance fee along with donations. Thirteen colorful CROP Walk Tee shirts were purchased at a price of $10.00 each. To keep cost for the race low and raise funds to help the needy the unsold T-shirts are returned to Church Word Service in Lansing and distributed to other CWS-CROP events.

The money raised will go to Church World Service along with the monies from The 7th Annual CROP Walk held on October 7, 2007. The CROP Walk used the same route as the runners. 25% of the funds will be returned to the community and split between Tecumseh Service Club and the Clinton Food Pantry. The remaining amount will go to Church World Service. Most funds were designated to go to CWS general fund with some funds designated to go to CRS-Catholic Relief Services.

The money that goes to Church World Service –CROP provides hungry families improved food security, clean safe water and vital self-development programs in some 80 countries. For more information go to www.cws.org

The 10K event started on time at 10:00 am with 4 participants. The hot humid temperatures along with many hills and uneven surfaces of the dirt roads made the two-loop 6.2 mile course very challenging. There was water at the 2-mile mark and at the 3-mile area. One runner that participated in the 10K run also ran the 5K that started close to an hour after the start of the 10K event.

More than 30 pounds of food was collected with a value over $60.00. The food will go directly to the Tecumseh Service Club providing nourishment for those within our communities that are in need.

At the finish line Reverend Lance Ness from the Macon United Methodist Church volunteered to help with timing and recording the time of each person crossing the finish line.

A finish chute, provided by “Running with E’s”, was assembled with the weighted bases, plastic poles and festive rope with colored flags in a wide configuration at the finish line narrowing down quickly to keep the runners in the order of their finish.

The Girl Scout troop from Tecumseh helped with this community support event. They learned how timing of the runners was done. The Girl Scouts troop leader Tracy Hedrick supervised the girls while they stood in the chute and collected the perforated tear-off tab from the runner’s Tag as they finished the 5K event. Another Girl Scout was asked to baby-sit the back up timing device while race officials used the main clock to recorded times of the runners crossing the finish line. Once a tab was collected, the tab was placed on a large numbered pin constructed of brass wire to keep the runner’s tabs in the order of finish.

After all the runners finished, everyone went to the Macon United Methodist Church for home made vegetable soup and bread.

A posting board was made in advance with age divisions so that the tabs could be posted to display the results. There were 4 medal awards in the 10 K and 15 medal awards for the 5K. Christine Brown and Danielle Ward both received a Gold medal as they tied in their age group in the 5K race.

Sincere thank-you to all that participate in the run and volunteered making this event possible. We are looking forward for an increase in numbers and putting on this race again next year. The date for next year’s NE Lenawee CROP Run is set for Saturday September 27,2008.