Students are the winners at inaugural Muddy ACCE Race
Date: October 4, 2016
Students are the winner at inaugural Muddy ACCE Race
Giles County, VA- 73 students came out true winners at the inaugural Muddy ACCE Race, held on October 1 in Giles County. Before the first wave of runners took off from the Caboose at the Glen Lyn Town Park sponsors and in-kind donations topped $76,000. The community support and Giles County staff efforts were noted throughout the day, with many touting the total volunteer and staff input that made the course top-notch for a first year event.
The Muddy ACCE Race was developed as the flagship fundraiser for the Giles County ACCE Program. Through New River Community College, graduating students from public, private, or homeschool are provided tuition free education for two years. The Access to Community College Education (ACCE) program will be entering its third year in Giles, with the first batch of students completing their involvement. For one-third of students from Giles this has been a stepping stone for their education and lives. Majority of the course volunteers for the Muddy ACCE Race were the program students who proudly wore “You are running the run for me” t-shirts.
Spectators, in the neighborhood of 500, enjoyed vendor row, a live DJ, and food from the Farm Table. Children under the age of 13 gave the Youth Course a try, some more than once. The start and finish line were easy to access for spectators and the crowd topped during the mid-morning hours. Preliminary numbers show approximately 320 runners and an approximate total of $85,645 raised to continue the ACCE program in Giles.
On October 20, Giles County Administration will be recognized during the Board of Supervisors meeting for their efforts relating to the Giles County ACCE program. A representative from the National Association of Counties will be in attendance to present the board with the 2016 Achievement Award in the category of Community/Economic Development. The Administration has also received the 2016 Community Colleges’ Chancellors’ Award for Leadership in Philanthropy on behalf of program partner, New River Community College. The program and the Muddy ACCE Race event would not have been possible without the dedication, support, and encouragement from business and industry partners, County staff, and those students and families in the ACCE program. Save the date for the 2nd Annual Event to be held the last Saturday of September 2017!
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For more information about planning your visit to Giles County or about activities and events, please visit www.gilescounty.org or contact us at tourism@gilescounty.org.
