Sporting A Cause

Monthly Archives: April 2020

Dammit We Can Drive!

We will always find ways to express ourselves, no matter how onerous the  restraints. We can’t get together to celebrate a birthday or play a game, we can’t gather to mourn a loss, we can’t stand within two arm lengths of each other. Fine.

But dammit we can get in our cars and drive!

Around 40 cars worth of parade wound their way past fire houses and ambulance garages and health care facilities today to celebrate National Superheroes Day and to honor our first responders and health care heroes. Well-wishers held signs and waved from their vehicles, and at each facility along the route the heroes waved back.

Ten or 20 years from now when we look back on the Pandemic of 2020, one of the defining images of that time will be of people in their cars holding signs and paper hearts out of their windows, waving and calling out – not touching or hugging but still showing the love.

Thanks to the Tri-State Chamber of Commerce and Lime Rock Park and all of the big-hearted people who put on this moving display. And of course thanks to the heroes.

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Travelers Championship is Back (with changes)

As sports-related fundraisers are cancelling and postponing all over the Tri-State area this spring,  here is a fresh breeze of good news. Organizers of the Travelers Championship have just announced that the event is still on for June 25 – 28 this year!

And although this year’s version will be a non-spectator event because of the Covid-19 pandemic, area charities, large and small, will be able to benefit from Connecticut’s largest sporting event.

What many may not know is that besides the signature charities that the Travelers supports such as a dozen or so military-related charities as well as organizations dedicated to COVID-19 relief efforts, the Tournament also supports nearly 200 small charities around the northeast, and that’s great news for charities in sportingAcause’s Tri-State area.

Any 501(c)(3) registered charity can join the Travelers Birdies for Charity program and take advantage of their fundraising platform. In addition, Travelers will add 15% to whatever funds each charity raises up to a total of $1 million!

Last year local non-profits like the Housatonic Valley Regional High School golf team were able to raise some much-needed money by selling discounted tickets to the Travelers through the Chip in for Charities program. Well that program went away because there are no tickets to sell this year.

But all of those charities can switch to the Birdies for Charity program. Here’s how:

All registered 501(c)(3) organizations registered in the Northeast United States are eligible. There is not a limit on the number of organizations that can participate.

  • Register with the Travelers Championship and we’ll provide the materials and information you need to get started.
  • Solicit donations – ask donors, sponsors, co-workers, friends, and family!
  • Direct your donors to the tournament website, www.TravelersChampionship.com or to your personalized donation website to make a contribution.
  • Submit all donations to the Travelers Championship by Sunday, June 28 at 6:00 p.m.
  • In the early Fall of 2020, the Travelers Championship will give you a check for 100% of donations received, plus an additional 15% from our Bonus Bucks pool. It’s that easy!

 

For more information about Birdies for Charity, please contact Taylor Whiting at 860-502-6805 or via email at twhiting@travelerschampionship.com.

Now, having said all of the above, things could still change. Even though the Travelers organizers are moving forward, changes in our fight against the pandemic could alter plans. Stay tuned for updates, but definitely enroll in the Travelers fundraising program!

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Cancelled, Postponed and Virtualized

 

Event organizers are waiting as long as they possibly can before making the gut-churning decision to cancel or maybe postpone their fundraisers. So much is at stake after all- hours of planning expended, sponsorship money gathered from businesses and already spent, and of course, the prospect of losing the funds that the event would provide – funds that already hold a place in charities’ budget projections.

As  Covid-19 chugs along, a 30 day yardstick seems to be the unofficial measurement where charities decide to throw in the towel. 100% of the sports-related fundraisers on sportingAcause.com have been cancelled, postponed or altered for the months of April and May. These are mini tragedies in an ocean of Covid- induced tragedies.

The latest event changes on the sportingAcause.com website include the cancellation of the Litchfield Hills Road Race; Line Rock Park has postponed both its season-opening Touring Car Festival (date to be determined) and the Memorial Day Classic (new date Oct. 16-17). Also, the entire Walk MS series through June has become virtual.

Here is the list of April and May events that have been cancelled, postponed or virtualized.

Bring On the Heat 4th Annual 5K (Bethlehem, CT) rescheduled to July 25th

Arlington Education Foundation 5K Run/Walk (Lagrange. NY) Cancelled

Shane Kinsella Memorial 5 Mile Run (Goshen, CT) Rescheduled to Sept. 12th

Upton Lake Christian School Eagle Run (Clinton Corners, NY) Rescheduled to Sept. 12th

Wellness 5K  (Pittsfield, MA)  Cancelled

Kiwanis Kingston 5K (Kingston, NY) Cancelled

Ride 1 Rally at Lime Rock Park (Lime Rock, CT)  postponed date TBA

Spring Splash (Lakeville, CT)  Cancelled

Gilbert Blue and Gold 5K and Golf Tournament (Winsted, CT)  Cancelled

Angel in the Infield Softball Tournament (Canaan, CT)  Cancelled

Kentucky Derby Social  (Salisbury, CT)  Rescheduled to Sept. 5th

Touring Car Festival at Lime Rock Park (Lime Rock, CT) Postponed  date TBA

Sharon Classic 35th Annual Road Race (Sharon. CT) Rescheduled to Sept. 26th.

Sean’s Ride and Sean’s Run (Chatham, NY)  Cancelled

Girls Just Wanna Run 5K (Litchfield, CT)  Cancelled

Retro Run 5K (Morris, CT)  Cancelled

Kenny Krom Memorial Basketball Game (Sheffield, MA)  Cancelled

Arrest and Extinguish ALS  (Lenox, MA) Cancelled

Touring Car Festival at Lime Rock Park (Lakeville, CT)  Postponed date TBD

NW CT Rod and Gun Club Steel Challenge Pistol Match (Canaan, CT)    Postponed  TBD

Annual Women’s Running Race (Pittsfield, MA)   Virtual

Wa Wa Wally Waddle (Poughkeepsie, NY)  Virtual

AFSP Run For Hope (Bethlehem, CT)   Postponed to June 6th

Camphill Village 5K  ( Copake, NY)  Postponed Date TBD

Steel Rail Half Marathon (Lanesboro, MA)  Virtual

Shine On 5K  ( Burlington, CT)  Rescheduled to Sept. 20th

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes SBA Project (Litchfield, CT)  Postponed Date TBD

Barkhamsted Elementary School Annual River Run 5K  (Barkhamsted, CT)  Cancelled

Relay For Life Marist College (Poughkeepsie, NY)  Postponed Date TBD

Berkshire South Community Center 8th Annual 5K Run  (Great Barrington, MA)  Virtual

Litchfield/Morris Rotary Club Golf Tournament ( Fairview Farm )  Cancelled

United Way/Charlie Ormsby Golf Tournament (Torrington CC) Rescheduled to June 15th, may re-reschedule

Berkshire County ARC Golf Tournament (Berkshire Hills CC)  Postponed Date TBD

Litchfield Hills Road Race  (Litchfield, CT)  Cancelled

Memorial Day Classic at Lime Rock Park (Lakeville, CT)  Postponed to Oct. 16-17

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