Celebrates 14 Years of Running for Kids
The Grin and Bear It Run, presented by Good Teeth, Great Grins (a collaborative effort between Blue Fish Dental and Deschutes Pediatric Dentistry), jump started the Bend running season in style with music, fun activities and fabulous prizes, not to mention three great running events.
This year’s event, a 5k and 10k run-walk, had nearly 200 participants. Marshall Green placed first overall in the 10k men’s with a time of 35:26, and Kristen Yax placed first overall in the women’s 10k with a time of 42:33. In the 5k event, Charmion Freifeld placed first in the women’s with a time of 21:30 and Robbie Donohue won the men’s with a time of 16:34.
The complete race results are available on the Time 2 Race website at www.Time2Race.com. Runners on the 5k and 10k course ranged in age from four to 74 years.
The 1 Mile Family Fun Run, presented by Bend Memorial Clinic Pediatrics, enjoyed its fair share of participants with over 200 kids, parents and even grandparents participating. And for many children (and even a few adults) this was a first time event. “The Grin and Bear It continues to be a great outreach and provided wonderful support for our services,” explained Holly Remer, the program’s executive director. Introducing the love of running to community members and families continues to be central to this event.
The corporate and team component was again a favorite with Mosaic Medical, for a sixth year, receiving the award for the largest team in attendance.
This year’s event generated nearly $2,000 in prizes and awards and over $40,000 in sponsorships, in-kind support and run entries — dollars dedicated to supporting children and families in the community. These proceeds will support three of the eighteen community screening clinics Healthy Beginnings offers throughout Central Oregon. The Grin and Bear It continues to be the largest fundraiser and friend-maker for Healthy Beginnings and has grown from a starting point of less than 100 runners in 2003.
Entering its 22nd year, Healthy Beginnings provides key services to young children, ensuring children are healthy, ready to succeed in school, and can develop to their full potential. Each year Healthy Beginnings holds 18 screenings throughout Central Oregon with the help of its hundreds of professional volunteers.
During the free screenings, children birth through age five are offered a “12 point kid inspection” that assesses vision, dental, speech, infant and toddler development, concepts, hearing, social skills and behavior, health, nutrition, car seat safety, motor and much more. The program also provides abbreviated preschool screenings as well. The screenings are not just designed for low income families, it’s a program designed for all families with young children. Improving access to health and educational services is fundamental to the program and Healthy Beginnings can even help with health insurance application coverage.
541-383-6357, www.hdesd.org
(Photo above | Cascade Business News)
