Chattanooga area non-profits will compete for a total of $18,000 for their organization in the second annual Greater Race, to be hosted by the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 9 a.m.-noon at Waterhouse Pavilion and Miller Plaza in downtown Chattanooga.
The Amazing Race-style event will feature 4-person teams from 25 area non-profits racing on foot or by bicycle (no motorized vehicles allowed) to a series of destinations across downtown and beyond.
Teams will find each location by using a series of GPS coordinates released via social media during the event. Teams must collect an item and check-in via Twitter from each location using hashtag #GreaterRace2015.
Once each team has visited all destinations, they must return to Miller Plaza to complete one final challenge. The first team to successfully visit all locations and finish the final challenge will receive $10,000 for their organization. The second and third place teams will receive $5,000 and $3,000, respectively.
An additional $1,000 will be given to a fourth non-profit during the event. Any person attending the event can enter the name of their favorite charity into the drawing, which will take place during the race day awards ceremony.
“We introduced the Greater Race in 2014 to celebrate Community Foundation’s legacy of giving back to the community by supporting non-profits working to solve critical issues in our community,” said CFGC President Pete Cooper. “We are delighted to bring the event back for a second year, with a few new surprises but the same goal: to come together to highlight the great work being done across our city in areas such as education, healthcare, food and shelter, and the arts.”
According to CFGC Director of Programs Robin Posey, any non-profit that applied for and received grant funding during the last five years through the Community Foundation’s open grants process was eligible to apply for lottery entry into the event.
“Throughout the Community Foundation’s more than 50-year history, we have distributed almost $250 million in grant funding to non-profits, programs and initiatives seeking to provide solutions for areas of critical need throughout our community, including $15 million in the past year alone,” Ms. Posey said. “The Greater Race is an opportunity to showcase just some of the recent recipients of Community Foundation support and to collectively celebrate the scope of engagement and work happening to make Chattanooga greater.
“The Greater Race is also a chance for area non-profits to come together to share more about their organization and their work with the greater Chattanooga community – and at the same time enjoy a fun departure from normal day-to-day fundraising efforts”
More than 53 teams applied for the 25 spots, and 24 names have been drawn. A 25th “wild card” entry will be selected from the remaining 29 applicants by popular vote online at
http://poll.fm/5dfjf. Voting takes place beginning Tuesday and will continue through 7 a.m. on Monday.
Community members are encouraged to vote for their preferred charity using the link. The organization with the highest number of votes in the online poll will win the wild card entry. The three organizations with the next highest numbers of votes will be named alternates.
Participating non-profits are as follows:
1. Apison Elementary
2. Ballet Tennessee
3. Caldsted Foundation
4. Camelia Foundation
5. Center for Creative Arts
6. Chattanooga Area Food Bank
7. Chattanooga School for Arts and Sciences
8. Chattanooga’s Kids on the Block
9. Children’s Advocacy Center of Hamilton County
10. Contemporary Performing Arts of Chattanooga
11. Family Fit Together
12. Family Promise of Greater Chattanooga
13. First Baptist Church Shower Ministry
14. Ganns Middle Valley Elementary
15. Hixson Middle School
16. LAUNCH Chattanooga
17. Metropolitan Ministries
18. The Next Door
19. Normal Park Museum Magnet Education Fund
20. Richmont Graduate University
21. Second Life of Chattanooga
22. Stop the Madness National, Inc.
23. UTC Paws
24. Young Women’s Leadership Academy Foundation
25. WILD CARD to be chosen by popular vote at http://poll.fm/5dfjf
Community members are invited to attend the event to cheer on their favorite charities and participate in the party happening at Miller Plaza during and after the race.