Mother Nature held off, making the Rotary Club of Barrie 30th Annual Barrie Fun Run a success.
Hundreds of people crammed the Southshore Community Centre on a chilly and overcast Wednesday evening for the event that raises money for community projects. Jody Patfield is the CEO of Kempenfelt Imaging Systems and has been a member of the Rotary Club of Barrie for 15 years. Patfield says that a lot of people have heard of the Rotary but have no idea what they do; which is one of the reasons he was also running last night.
“This event is not only about raising funds to help with community projects but also to raise awareness for all that we do as an organization,” said Patfield. “The run itself started in effort to eradicate polio, which worldwide we are a few half percentage points of doing so. As the years went on, the Barrie Fun Run has evolved into a great way to help the community with projects it needs done for the betterment of the city.”
The route that was run Wednesday night around Kempenfelt Bay is lined with the Rotary Club of Barrie’s help. Over 1,200 of the trees lining the bay were planted by the RCB over the last 25 years and the Southshore Centre itself was a joint project by the RCB, the Huronia Rotary Club and the Canoeing and Rowing Club. On the west side of the Centre are the little islands that were built with the help of the Rotary in order to create a spawning grounds for fish and help the lake thrive.
On Canada’s 100th birthday in 1967, the Centennial Beach water fountain was installed and has become a landmark for the city; the three local Rotary clubs got together and fundraised enough funds for a new 18 foot clock that is being installed at the base of Bayfield Street in time for Canada 150 celebrations on July 1.
There were three runs and a walk for you to choose from, and new technology for the Fun Run was runners being chipped to show their accurate time of finish. A 10km and 5km run was available for the more competitive, as were a 5km walk. Kids enjoyed a 250-metre and 500-metre run as well.
Georgian College and Royal Victoria Hospital have a friendly Fun Run rivalry and compete for money raised every year. With each person paying $40 to enter the run ($45 for late-comers), each team tries to out-do the other and this year Team Georgian registered a team of close to a 100 members for their squad. Kelly Pottage is Georgian College’s Manager of Alumni and Community Development and says it’s not just helpful to the city but a real team-building experience as well.
“I think this is our seventh year doing it and we have so much fun,” said Pottage. “The Rotary is a fantastic supporter of Georgian College and so in turn we love to support them back and this run. We have staff, students and alumni along friends of all of them who come out every year to participate. It raises money but also is a great way to show team spirit and stay close to one another.”
Ten-year-old Anna Boertanok ran the competitive 250 metre kids run and despite being quite out of breath, was very happy she was able to help.
“I like to run and be active,’ said Boertanok. “I also wanted to come out and help the RVH because they’re a really good hospital.”
Early word is that the Fun Run raised between $15,000 and $20,000
