If there were ever a reason to register for a bike ride, run or walk, VeloCity 2021 is it.
On May 1, the annual fundraiser in support of Grady Memorial Hospital is happening for the fourth year. While last year’s race went virtual, due to the pandemic, this year’s will take place in person.
Registration is now open. You can sign up today to raise funds to support Grady’s front-line heroes battling COVID-19, promote wellness and ensure quality health care is available to the entire community through an activity of your choosing.
Much like last year, some changes have been made to the event. Instead of it being a charity bike ride, it is now a ride/run/walk of your choice. It’s also taking place on the 8,000-acre Bouckaert Farm in Chattahoochee Hills, which will allow for necessary COVID-19 safety protocols to be in place.
“Atlanta can’t live without Grady isn’t just a catchphrase — it is the absolute truth,” Drew Evans, chair, Grady Health Foundation and chief financial officer, Southern Company said in a statement. “Grady’s impact is felt far beyond its walls. By working with our patients not only to address their immediate medical needs but also to help them address other factors that are impacting their overall health, we help them live stronger more fulfilling lives. By keeping the thousands of people who rely upon Grady every year healthy — we make our community stronger and better for everyone.”
This year, you can choose to help strengthen the community and raise funds by participating in-person or virtually as a cyclist in five different cycling routes, or a runner or walker in a 5K or a 9-mile run/walk route. Participants will pay a registration fee and will be engaged in leading peer-to-peer fundraising for Grady.
“We’re calling our 5K our SuperHero 5K in honor of the thousands of health care heroes who have worked tirelessly at Grady this past year – it’s also a nod to some of the many films that have been shot on the property, such as ‘Black Panther,’” said Joselyn Butler Baker, president of Grady Health Foundation.
Riders, walkers and runners alike can register individually or as a team.
Cyclists can choose to join a 10-, 25-, 62-, 50- or 100-mile distance ride along the best courses Atlanta has to offer, or elect to do the same distances virtually. Registration rates range from $30 for a 10-mile ride to $125 for a $100-mile ride. The cost is the same no matter if your course is virtual or along fully-supported routes.
Meanwhile, walkers and runners can make their participation a family affair by including the children in the kids under 13 SuperHero 5K for $15. The standard SuperHero 5K is $30 and all other distances are the same cost walkers and runners as it is for cyclists.
After setting a fundraising goal, all participants can choose to lend even more support to Grady by kick-starting their fundraising and making a donation toward their goal.
Register online here.
Even if you don’t want to walk, run or ride, you can still give to Grady by donating to an individual participant, team or make a general donation.
Donations such as these make it possible for Grady to continue to have a profound impact on the community.
Carl Bouckaert, owner of Bouckaert Farm at Chattahoochee Hills is directly familiar with that impact.
“I know firsthand what a tremendous resource Grady is for our community,” he said. “Had I not been flown there several years ago after an accident, I would have lost my leg. We are honored to have this opportunity to support an institution that gave me my leg back, and that saves and changes the lives of hundreds of people each and every day.”
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