Last Sunday, May 6, runners and walkers–both 4-legged and 2-legged–gathered at Dorothea Dix Park for Second Chance’s annual Racing for Rescues 5K runs/fun walk. While our fastest runners, biggest fundraisers, and raffle winners all took home prizes, the real winners that day were the stray and abandoned cats and dogs awaiting their second chance to find love.

Every Second Chance supporter who registered to run, sign up to walk, purchased raffle tickets, and donated to the event collectively win the best prize of all: making it possible for us to save lives. Thanks to you, we raised more than $10,000 over our goal and several thousand dollars more than last year!

Those who participated have been emailed a post-event survey so we can make Racing for Rescues 2019 bigger and better than ever! We hope all of you will join us next year, and in the meantime, we invite you to check out our event photos, including RaceWire’s finish line photos of runners!

 

Congratulations to all who ran our 5K races on May 6, 2018! For those with timing chips in your bibs, you can now see your results online. Special congrats to those who took home medals, too! Photos from the big day will be posted on our Facebook page soon, so keep an eye out. And of course, we hope to see you back in 2019. 🙂

In just a few hours, we begin a mini-challenge: a 10-day burst of fundraising for the cats and dogs in our program! The challenge will run from midnight TONIGHT (when the calendar strikes April 25) through Friday, May 4 (see the fine print for exact timing of the close of the challenge). 

Are you ready? Here are the details:

1. All Racing for Rescues fundraisers who receive at least 5 gifts of $10.00 or more will be entered to win a limited-edition Second Chance coffee mug!
2. The fundraiser (individual or team leader) who receives the highest number of gifts $10.00 or more (NOT the largest amount of funds, but the largest number of individual gifts) will win a limited-edition Second Chance hoodie and a coffee mug!
3. The donor who gives the largest gift will receive a gift basket including a bottle of red wine, a bottle of white wine, a package of coffee, and a chocolate bar! Your friends, relatives, neighbors, and coworkers will be motivated to support their loved one (that’s you!), help animals, AND bring home a tasty treat! (Not coming to the event or registering to fundraise? YOU can still be our largest donor! Click here to send a gift!)

And YES, these prizes are in addition to the prizes we’ve already told you about for our highest fundraiser (individual), highest fundraising team, and random drawing among all fundraisers who raise $35 or more!

The Fine Print:

1. Eligible contributions must be made directly to your individual page (if you are not a team leader) or your team page (if you lead a team).
2. Eligible contributions include gifts of $10.00 or more per donor, and the donor cannot be you if it is in your name or your team’s name (you are, however, welcome to donate to someone you know on another team). For example, if two of your neighbors donate $10 each to your page/team, both will count for the challenge; if your mother donates $10 three times, only one gift will count for the challenge; if you donate $20 to your own page or your own team, the gift will not count for the challenge; if you donate $40 to another team, that gift will count as one.
3. All online donations must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Friday, May 4.
4. All checks and cash given in your honor must be received by Second Chance (address below) by 5:00 p.m. Eastern on Friday, May 4. We will manually apply the donations received in your name or in your team’s name to your fundraising page for you.
5. The donor who makes the largest contribution must be at least 21 years old to receive the gift basket due to the presence of alcohol. Should the largest donation be made by someone 20 years or younger, the gift basket will go to the donor who made the second-highest donation (presuming they are of age), and so on. The gift basket will need to be picked up at Second Chance on or after May 7, 2018.

The How-To:

1. If you haven’t already taken this step, register and select the option for “Yes, I want to help animals even more!” and then set up your individual page (for individuals and team members) or your team page (for team leaders). (While you don’t absolutely have to do this to receive donations, sharing your story–and photos–with your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers will get them to donate more!) As a reminder of how to set up your page: simply log-in to the fundraising portal (a log-in link can also be found just above the leaderboards on the race page), update your goal (if you wish to change it) on the right side of the page, and at the top right, hover over “Personal Page” and select “Customize Your Personal Page.” Click “Save Personal Page Info” when you’re done and you’re good to go! (Note: you won’t actually see the images you’ve uploaded as you’re uploading; once you hit “Sve Personal Page Info,” the page will refresh and you’ll see them at that time.)
2. Ask others to support you. You can share your fundraising page with everyone you know! You’ll find the link to your page on  the leaderboard on the race page. You can email the link on your own or copy and paste it to your social media followers, or use our default email for extra convenience! While in your fundraising portal, select “Fundraise” at the top right. Fill in the name and email address of a potential supporter, customize the subject and body of the email (if you wish), and hit “Send Email” at the bottom–that’s it! Your recipient will then know exactly how to donate on your fundraising page or send a check on your behalf. Be sure to tell them about the gift basket they can win!
3. Check your progress. At any time, you can check the leaderboards on the race page to see how much you’ve raised and how your fundraising efforts compare to others’.

Winners will be announced at Racing for Rescues. Questions?

Contact rachel@secondchancenc.org! Good luck to all!

P.S. – Want to give your friends a taste of what makes this event so special? We made a video that you can share on Facebook or link to on YouTube!

Our annual 5K run/fun walk is back, and if saving kitties and puppies isn’t enough motivation for you, we’ve got a ton of awards and prizes for the big day!

Get registered and get ready to join us Sunday, May 6 at Dorothea Dix Park to have fun and save lives. See all the event info here!

Great Awards and Great Prizes

Win the Race

Do you have a competitive streak? Do you enjoy competing against others, or even against yourself? Good news: Racing for Rescues is a timed event and your bib can be chipped! Sign up today to compete in your first real 5K, improve your time, push yourself further, or take one of our awards on May 6! Who wouldn’t want a medal and a Fleet Feet gift card?! You gotta be in it to win it, so sign up now!

Win a Raffle Prize

From a Wilmington get-away, to a $250 Visa gift card, to a local night out for dinner at Mellow Mushroom and the Durham Bulls ball game, or dinner at The Angus Barn, to pampering yourself with new athletic gear, you can win one of five great prizes* by purchasing your tickets today! YOU get to decide what you want to win!

*Need not be present to win.

Win a Fundraising Prize

When you register, you have a chance to say, “YES, I want to help animals even more” and become a fundraiser with your own personal or team web page! You can share the link with friends, relatives, neighbors, and coworkers and ask them to support you as you become a hero for the animals–we’ll even provide you with all the tools you need to make the ask, so don’t be shy, sign up today! The individual and the team who raise the most money* will win prizes, and everyone who raises $35 or more** will receive one entry for every $35 raised (that’s 10 entries for someone who raises $350) for the chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!

*Eligible online donations may be received until 5:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, May 5; eligible cash and check donations must be received by Second Chance by 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, May 4.

**One’s own Racing for Rescues registration fee does not apply.