The Townwide Fund of Huntington, Inc. will be holding its St. Patrick's Four-Mile and Fun Runs on Saturday, March 19. The start/finish will take place at the American Legion Hall No. 360 on New York Avenue in Halesite. The 1K Fun Run will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the 4-Mile Run will begin at 9 a.m. sharp. There will also be a 4-Mile High School Team Challenge Run.
Through March 12, the cost to sign up for the 4-mile run is $18, for the 4-Mile High School Team Challenge Run is $10 and for the 1K Fun Run is $6. After March 12, the cost is $25 for the 4-Mile Run, $15 for the 4-Mile High School Team Challenge Run and remains $6 for the 1K Fun Run. Early entries will receive a T-shirt, but hurry because quantities are limited. Teams of five high school runners may be entered in the 4-Mile Run, with the top finishers from each high school, male and female, competing for the Hartigan High School Challenge Trophy.
"The St. Patrick's runs are a great way for our organization to kick off fundraising in 2011," said Michael Mule, President of The Townwide Fund of Huntington. "With the help of all of our local sponsors and runners, the St. Patrick's Run allows us to raise funds for so many worthy local charities, and it's critical to understand that the people they serve are Huntington residents. So, I urge everyone in our Township to 'Donate Local,' which means donate to The Townwide Fund of Huntington."
This is the first event of the year for the Townwide Fund of Huntington. Funds raised support the mission of the Townwide Fund, which recently presented a check for $100,000 to 20 charities during its annual Board Meeting. As a local, non-governmental agency, the Townwide Fund of Huntington bridges the gap between dwindling governmental support for local charities and the increasing needs of community residents.
In addition to the St. Patrick's Run, The Townwide Fund's upcoming activities include a direct mail campaign, Thanksgiving Day Run, Northport Theatre Christmas Show, payroll donation plan, coin box program and an annual golf outing.
The event's main sponsor is the Melville law firm of Carter, DeLuca, Farrell and Schmidt who have graciously sponsored this annual run for the past four years. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more information, to become a sponsor or register, please contact Bea Hartigan, Race Chairperson at (631) 271-3349 or visit http://townwidefund.org.
About The Townwide Fund of Huntington:
The Townwide Fund was founded in 1961 by a group of private citizens who wanted to help local charities raise vital funds which are desperately needed to serve the community. Its mission is to keep money raised in Huntington within the community to serve its residents. Now, more than 50 years later, the Townwide Fund has provided close to $10 million to support Huntington through its local charities by providing support so they can offer much needed health and human services programs to Huntington residents.