Projo Running Blog

An announcement from the CVS Caremark Downtown 5K:

2007 CVS CAREMARK DOWNTOWN 5K RAISES $160,000 FOR LOCAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND SCHOOLS

Funds contribute to eight-year tally of $800,000

Woonsocket, RI (February 12, 2007) – Area track and field coaches, student runners, Special Olympians and representatives from area nonprofits will converge at the CVS Caremark Customer Support Center this evening to celebrate the record-breaking funds raised -- $160,000, by the 2007 CVS Caremark Downtown 5K. The group of approximately 125 youths and adults will join CVS Caremark executives and staff for dinner and a presentation of checks to their respective schools and organizations. The 2007 race -- which turned out over 7,000 registered runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes, brought the tally of funds raised during CVS Caremark’s eight-year sponsorship of the Downtown 5K, to $800,000.

“We are pleased to be recognizing so many positives this evening as we celebrate yet another banner year for the CVS Caremark Downtown 5K and set the pace for continued success in upcoming years,” said Larry Merlo, executive vice president of CVS Caremark Corporation and president of CVS/pharmacy. “Through this great race – the largest in Rhode Island, the spirit of volunteerism comes alive, health and fitness are embraced, and nonprofit organizations get an extra financial boost to help them fulfill their important missions.”

Representatives from the following ten nonprofit groups will be honored and presented with checks this evening: All Children’s Theater, Amos House, Best Buddies of Rhode Island, Meeting Street, National Braille Press, PARI (People Actively Reaching Independence), Perkins School for the Blind, The Groden Center, and The Providence Center.

Additionally, organizations providing volunteers for the race – including schools, track clubs and nonprofit organizations, will be recognized at the dinner and awarded grants. They include: Attleboro Jaguars Track Club, Bishop Hendricken High School, Chariho High School, Civil Air Patrol, East Greenwich High School, East Providence High School, Exeter/West Greenwich Sports for Kids, Johnston High School Track Club, LaSalle Academy-Girls Basketball Team, LaSalle Boys Track Club, LaSalle Girls Track Club, Lincoln High School, North Kingstown Track Club, Rhode Island Boys Track Association, Rhode Island Girls Track Association, Rhode Island Scholastic League, Rhode Island Track Guild, Sentinel Striders, Thunderbolt Track Club, Tollgate High School, Yawgoo Valley Search and Rescue Team 501 (YVSAR), A Wish Come True, American Red Cross, Autism Project of Rhode Island, Special Olympics Rhode Island and US Cerebral Palsy Athletic Association/Blaze Sports America.

To further promote health care and to emphasize the importance of physical activity for children, CVS Caremark will also award $500 grants to ten schools that won random drawings. School teams with 25 or more children who participated in the 2007 CVS Caremark Youth Races or High School Inspirational 3K qualified for the drawings, which are earmarked to assist physical education programs. The winners of these grants include Chariho High School, Coventry Cross Country, Highlander Charter School, LaSalle Cross Country, Learning Community Charter School, Mount St. Charles Academy, Scituate High School, Toll Gate High School, West Warwick Cross Country Team and Woonsocket High School.

At this evening’s dinner and check presentation event, Merlo also plans to acknowledge the children with special needs who participated in the All Kids Can Inspirational segment of the 2007 race. “The determination and joy that is visible in these special athletes as they partake in the race is incredibly uplifting. We thank them for the inspiration they provide to others and extend our gratitude to Special Olympics Rhode Island, Meeting Street and the US Cerebral Palsy Association for partnering with us to recruit these special athletes. The CVS Caremark All Kids Can Inspirational segment is an important extension of our All Kids Can program which focuses on helping children with disabilities learn, play and succeed in life.”

The 2008 CVS Caremark Downtown 5K is scheduled to take place on September 21. Organizers have announced that a number of Olympians will be returning to Providence to compete in the race.

Comments

Lisa said:

Why is this event ALWAYS the same weekend as the Walk for Autism? So many of us would participate, but the dates are always the same.

Link | June 5, 2008 12:14 PM
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