Thanks to fabulous community support via sponsoring, running, walking, and purchasing thousands of raffle and bucket draw tickets, the West River Health Services Foundation raised over $15,000 gross from its 35th Annual "Fun Run & Walk" event on the 4th of July! After expenses, over $11,000 was netted, so the WRHS Fun Run & Walk Committee has decided to hold back $1,000 for next year's event and pay forward $10,000! You read that right – your local WRHS Foundation is giving back $10,000 of its Fun Run & Walk net funds to area communities for healthy activities!
How does this affect you? If you know of any healthy activities you'd like to see funded within the WRHS service area, between now and September 15th, you or your organization can go to our wrhs.com website and look for "Fun Run & Walk Grant Application." Any organization, business, family or individual can apply. All we need is for you to fill out the application with your name, a description of what your healthy community need or project is, the amount you're asking for (we've decided to cap individual grant asks at $2,500 or less), and any other supporting materials you might like to forward.
The grant application will be available to be completed starting on Friday, August 4th and the due date is Friday, September 15th. Our WRHS Fun Run & Walk Committee members will review each application and meet on September 21st to discuss and make selections. The Committee can give full or partial grants to individual grant applicants. We will then contact each recipient, congratulating them and explaining the process. Each grant recipient will have until January 1, 2024 to supply the WRHS Foundation with an order invoice for payment up to the total grant amount given. If no invoice is submitted from grant recipients between September 22, 2023 and January 1, 2024, then the Fun Run & Walk Committee reserves the right to select other applications to replace delinquent grant recipients.
Our Annual WRHS "Fun Run & Walk" event this past 4th of July witnessed nearly 200 runners and walking enjoying the crisp, cool morning jaunt around parts of scenic and full Mirror Lake in Hettinger. Peyton Tuhy and Sidra Sadowsky, our overall fastest male and female runners, covered the course in blazing speed (13:52 and 14:40)! Chase Geaumont was the fastest overall Youth 11 and under speedster, to cover the shortened 1K youth course (3:44). Charlee, Maggie and Kaycee Weinert swept the girls youth divisions and Victor Woroniecki bested the 6-8 year old boys. The Manning Family participated with 32 family members! Wow!
Sponsors from $175 to $1,150 included Mizuno USA – Jeremy Galbreth, Farmers Union Insurance – Kim Erickson Agency, City of Hettinger, Hettinger Public School, Braxton & Alyson Kornele Family, Twin City Roofing, Stippich Inc., West River Insurance Agency, The Bone & Joint Center, Dakota Western Bank, Campbell Seed, DTN Staffing, Salazar Family, Hettinger Family Dental, Mirror Lake Lodge, Shred ND, Dacotah Bank, Smith's Drug & Clothiers, Hands on Health, Consolidated, Gate City Bank, West Plains, Eye Clinic of ND and Uecker Yards Inc. Other sponsors from $25 to $130 included Hettinger Theater, Grand River Honey Company – Eric & Dana Andress, Troy and Patty Ness Family, Lemmon Country Club, Runnings, Doreen Weichman Massage, West River Veterinary Clinic, Touch of Heaven Massage -- Kim Petik and IGA. Thank you to all sponsors for giving funds and prizes toward our annual event. Many of these sponsors have been with us for many years. And hopefully, for many years to come.
And THANK YOU area supporters. Without your purchase of registrations, raffle tickets and bucket draw tickets, we have no event. Nothing to pay forward. TOGETHER we are RURAL STRONG.
Please consider applying for our $10,000 in grant funding for healthy activities in our local area communities (maximum of $2,500 for each application). You have 6 weeks to fill out the grant application form and return it to us at the WRHS Foundation by September 15th. Until next year's 36th Annual "Fun Run & Walk" on the 4th of July -- Onward!
By Ted Uecker, WRHS Foundation