Lunch allows athletes to say thanks to sponsors
If it wasn’t for a lot of local volunteers and contributors giving their time and dollars, an event like the Cedartown International Wheelchair 5K Road Race couldn’t happen annually.
Whether it be the city employees who drive to get athletes on the bus from the airport in Atlanta and back again after the race is over, or families who chip in and cook up meals for participants while they are in town, a whole lot of people give back to make sure that athletes from around the globe can call Cedartown home, even if just for a few days.
Organizer Dave Grove gave a tip of his hat to all the contributors – from the Ayers-Beck (Polk County) Community Foundation to the City of Cedartown and many more – for helping to make the event happen for another year in Cedartown.
Sponsors and athletes gathered for an invite-only lunch at the Cedartown Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia on race day ahead of the evening event on July 5, where Grove praised companies and couples alike for giving back.
“We raise a lot of money for this event, and gets easier because we have sponsors who help support us year after year,” Grove said.
Sponsors like the Morris family, who not only donated the museum’s large meeting area in the back for lunch, but also handed out grab bags for athletes to take home as well with several items inside.
Grove also sang the praises of Cedartown officials for their help in making sure the event went off without a hitch, and keeping the road surface clean and streets cleared with the help of police officers during the event last week.
Polk Medical Center, The HON Company, Advance Rehab, Fred Barasoain and Heather Pryor, Jane and Harold Wyatt, New Hope Church, Gammon, Anderson and McFall, Polk Veterinary Care, Mundy and Burch, P.C., Mike McRae, Able Sports, LLC., Georgia Power, Bradford’s Drugs, Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Weaver, Janet and Mark Edwards, Larry and Lynne Kuglar, Mike and Alice Pittman, Phil and Dale Tuck, and Polk County Public Service.