Nightmare on Nashville Street

Runners and walkers enjoy last years Nightmare on Nashville Street 5k

One of our favorite parts about race timing is the chance to partner with wonderful non-profits in our area to help them raise funds for the incredible work that they are doing in our communities. One of those organizations is the Evitt Foundation based in Ringgold, Georgia. This volunteer run non-profit works to promote the welfare of children and combat hunger in North Georgia. One of their newest fundraisers is a family friendly Halloween themed 5k — Nightmare on Nashville Street. We chatted with Rachel Stockburger of the Evitt Foundation to learn more about the race.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got involved with the Evitt Foundation and this race? 

I'm the PR & Advertising Coordinator for Ringgold Telephone Company. Our company helps manage the Evitt Foundation. This non-profit foundation runs solely on volunteers. We pride ourselves on creating unique fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for our foundation. Our Nightmare on Nashville Street 5k and 1 mile fun run is our fall fundraiser and has quickly become a fun event for the community to enjoy and raises money for a great cause. 

For those who don't know, can you tell us about the Evitt Foundation? What do you all do and how does that impact families in the Ringgold area?

The Evitt Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that aims to promote child welfare and reduce hunger in the North Georgia area. One of many projects that we are most known for is we host multiple grocery distributions yearly to feed families who are struggling to make ends meet. 

What about the race itself? How did it come about and how does it benefit the work you all do?

Nightmare on Nashville Street is quickly becoming one of our most successful fundraisers. This will be our 2nd year hosting this race and we are anticipating hundreds of runners to come out and enjoy a spooky halloween themed run throughout downtown Ringgold. We take pride in giving our town a fun event to enjoy and the fact that 100% of the proceeds goes back to families in need in this community is just icing on the cake. 

What should runners expect on race day? Where is the race, when does it start, and is there anything else unique about it? 

Runners should come out ready to enjoy a fun and memorable race! The 5k will start at 6:30 at the Ringgold Market in downtown Ringgold. We highly encourage runners to come dressed up in a costume. We will have spooky characters along the course ready to make our runner want to run a little faster. We will have a bonfire, a halloween movie, and food trucks at the finish line for families to hang out after and enjoy the evening. 

Anything else you would like to share? 

Come out for a great time and bring the family! This is a fun fall event that goes towards such a great cause. It's truly a win win. 

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Runners interested in learning more or signing up for the race can visit the event page on the Evitt Foundation’s website or by visiting the race registration page on terrarunning.com.

Run for Their Freedom

Continuing with our fall race features, in this edition of the Terra blog we are thrilled to highlight Run for Their Freedom 5k, benefitting the fantastic local non-profit Willowbend Farms. To get us up to speed on all things Run for Their Freedom, we caught up with Kristina Higgins, the Survivor Care Coordinator at Willowbend Farms. Kristina is the race director, along with Willowbend’s CEO Sarah McKinnis. Read on to learn more about a race that has quickly become a Cleveland fall classic.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got involved with WillowBend Farms? 

I started with WillowBend Farms as survivor care coordinator in October of 2020, after a 11 year career in nonprofit public relations/marketing. It was a big switch. Stereotypical as it sounds, I wanted to help those who needed help most and make a difference with actual hands on work, rather than doing it all in a sanitized way behind a desk. In the spring of 2023, I became the administrative director. In this position, I work directly with our CEO to implement policy, oversee day-to-day functioning, and tackle whatever challenges the day brings. I also get to do fun things like plan our annual conference and Run For Their Freedom!

For those who don't know, can you tell us about WillowBend Farms? What do you all do and how does that impact people in our area?

We are a nonprofit organization based here in the local community, but reaching 27 counties throughout our region. We serve survivors of human trafficking through restoration efforts like our two year residential and vocational programs, through connection with services and help reaching goals, and through our emergency response center. Another of our initiatives is prevention, awareness, and education. We provide trainings at no cost to agencies, schools, churches, businesses - anyone who wants to know more about what human trafficking is and what they can do to prevent it. This is just a small summary of all we do! Last year we served 221 survivors and trained over 8,000 people, and we are on pace to increase both of those numbers this year.

When I think of fall races in Cleveland I think of Run for Their Freedom. Can you tell us about the race? How did it come about and how does it benefit the work you all do?

Run For Their Freedom serves a dual purpose. It is our primary annual fundraiser, with all contributions going straight back to survivor restoration. Our fundraising goal of $50,000 covers a survivor's full participation in our two year holistic residential program. The other important purpose for this race is that it brings together the community in order to bring awareness to the reality of human trafficking in Cleveland, and to honor survivors and those we've lost to modern day slavery. We also love to just join with everyone and have a fun night.

We started this with a group of Lee students tasked with developing a public relations campaign for WBF. That was in 2018 and we've been going every year since!

What should runners expect on race day? Where is the race, when does it start, and is there anything else unique about it? 

The race begins by the yellow chair at the Greenway on October 19 at 6:30 pm. We have a 1 mile walk option for those who want to participate but aren't interested in running the 5k. The cool thing about the event is that it's not just a race; it's also a community festival with something for everyone. We will have food trucks, coffee, great music, vendors, games, and so much more. The weather is usually perfect and it's a fun time for families and the whole community to come out and enjoy the evening. Everyone will want to stick around after the race to participate in our powerful candlelight ceremony and worship. 

Anything else you would like to share? 

We hope everyone registers for the race and comes out on October 19 for a great night. The funds raised truly make a huge difference for survivors, and the awareness built impacts prevention efforts within our community. It takes all of us together to do the work!

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The race takes place at 6:30 in the evening, Friday October 19th, in Greenway Park. For more information, visit the event page on Willowbend Farms website. Runners can also learn more about the work and mission of Willowbend Farms by visiting willowbendfarms.org. Be sure to also check out their curated shop in downtown Cleveland at 95 2nd Street NE, Cleveland TN 37311.

Do It For the Kids 5k

Kids at the Boys and Girls Club designed the 5k shirt!

Fall race season is very quickly approaching and this year we have quite a few new offerings for runners and walkers to choose from. One of those races is the Do It For the Kids 5k benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of the Ocoee Region and put by River Counties Association of Realtors. At Terra Running, it is no surprise that we love races, but we especially love races that benefit worthy causes which is exactly what this one does! We chatted with Michael Parent of River Counties Association of Realtors to learn more about this brand new 5k.
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Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got involved with the Do it for the Kids 5k?

I am currently the CEO for River Counties Association of REALTORS® and this event came about through our Community Outreach committee.  This committee is tasked with organizing events that are designed to engage the county and provide assitance where needed.  We provide scholarships to local students, organize a REALTOR® volunteer week assiting in various projects of need throughout the community, volunteer to assist Habitat for Humanity with their local builds, etc.

What about the race itself? It is my understanding that this is a new 5k this year. How did it come about and how does it benefit the work you all do?

This race idea came about to help the community and the committee overwhelming approved the Boys and Girls Club of the Ocoee region as the beneficiary of any proceeds raised through the 5k.  This is our inaugural year wtih the 5k and we felt it is something that everyone in the community can participate in.  This is a fun run/walk; we want everyone to feel included and come out to complete the 5k in any way that they feel comfortable. We also created the opportunity for the Boys and Girls of the club to submit drawings for the race logo. We received those entries in July and the committee decided on the winner which is the race’s logo.

What should runners expect on race day? Where is the race, when does it start, and is there anything else unique about it?

On race day expect to come out and have fun. Mix 104.1 will be there to start off our race and get everyone pumped up to make a difference.  The race is being held on September 21, 2024 at the Greenway in Raider Park, on site packet pick up will start at 7am; the race officially begins at 8am. Participants can also pick up their race packets at our office the day before — Friday, September 20th — from 9am-3pm. We are located at 2070 Candies Lane NW Cleveland, TN 37312.

Anything else you would like to share?

Our REALTORS® are very appreciative of the counties around us and are always looking to giveback in any way they can.  Selling and buying a home is one of the most important steps in someones life and it is truly special to be a part of their journey.  We believe that everyone deserves to have housing and that it is a right not a privlege.  Our associaiton also strives to help those less fortunate and homeless, this is a serious issue in our nation and we will contuinue to try and help wipe it out.

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Participants can register for the race at this link or by visiting terrarunning.com. For more information on the River Counties Association of Realtors check them out online at rivercounties.com as well as their Facebook page. To learn more about the Boys and Girls Club of the Ocoee Region and to support them directly, visit them online at bgcocoee.org. You can also visit them on Facebook.