Fitness and Fundraising: Summer Events to Check Out

Whether you run, walk, or bike, this region offers plenty of opportunities to get active for a good cause in the summer months. Outdoor fitness fundraisers are fun for the whole family, offer a great form of exercise, and will make you feel good that you’ve contributed to a worthwhile cause. Through the CDPHP corporate sponsorship program, we offer support for variety of summer fitness events and fundraisers to get you out of the house and into the sunshine. Some upcoming events include:

17^th Annual Cycle the Erie Canal Bike Tour

Buffalo to Albany
July 12-19

Parks and Trails New York coordinates this eight-day, 400-mile annual biking adventure each year to showcase the historic Erie Canal. Enjoy great scenery, interesting history, and unparalleled cycling along the way. Whether you’re up for the entire journey from Buffalo to Albany and can’t wait to experience camping, other lodgings, celebrations, and fun along the way, or want to do a shorter ride along part of the Canal, this event can accommodate. The 2015 Rider Handbook is a comprehensive guide to the event and all it has to offer.

Schenectady ARC 5K Challenge

Central Park, Schenectady
Friday, August 7

See ability, not disability. Challenge yourself. Help fund ARC.

This is the message from the Schenectady ARC  for its 5K Challenge, and it really says it all. This annual fundraising event offers a 3.1-mile course for serious runners wanting to challenge their best 5K time, corporate teams looking for a group activity, or those out for a comfortable jog through the park. The event offers financial support to an organization that has supported individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities and their families since 1952.

Schenectady ARC offers residential services, day services, medical or other clinical services, recreation programs, employment opportunities, and respite services. Information and registration is available online or by calling Douglas Secor at (518) 372-1160, ext. 8641.

March On for Brain Injury Walk

Walkway Over the Hudson
Saturday, August 29

This fundraising walk over the scenic Walkway Over the Hudson in Highland benefits the Brain Injury Association of New York, which provides advocacy and support to individuals with brain injuries and their family members. This year’s walk will celebrate youth honoree Michael Fisher of Saugerties, as well as the memory of adult honoree Farrel Tannenbaum, a 55-year-old private detective in New York City who died last December.

Event registration and information is available online at March on for Brain Injury. The walk over the Hudson River is 1.28 miles and begins at 10 a.m. If you are not able to attend the event, you can participate online by creating a “virtual walker” personal fundraising site or supporting another walker as a team member.

Although the mercury is up in the summer, your fitness levels – and charitable activities – don’t have to be down. Get out there, enjoy all sorts of fundraising fitness events to discover that exercise isn’t just good for you; it can be good for the community, too.

Photo: Runners participate in last year’s Schenectady ARC 5K Challenge