The organizing committee for the Around The Lake Give'R Take 30 trail race handed out $4,600 in race proceeds to three local groups Jan. 18.
The Chilliwack Track and Field Club received $2,208.
The Vedder Mountain Trail Association received $1,472 and Chilliwack Search and Rescue received $920.
The money was presented to the groups at the the Urbanendo Runners store in Garrison Crossing.
— Money for the Chilliwack Track and Field Club goes toward equipment purchases and transportation to various meets.
“This year, for instance, I've got my eye on a full set of eight starting blocks to replace the very old, very beaten set that has been around since Chilliwack hosted the BC Summer Games many, many years ago,” said CT&FC president Howard Brandt. “I'd also like to acquire a 50 metre roll-out, rubberized runway to cushion my athletes' legs when we are forced indoors by winter weather. Track-and-field equipment is terrifyingly expensive! These two acquisitions alone call for several thousand dollars in expenditures.”
CT&FC has existed since 1985 and boasts a membership of 80-plus between the ages of nine and 17.
— Each year, thousands of people from here, there and everywhere enjoy the great outdoors locally, and sometimes they find themselves in trouble.
Sixty to 70 times each year, Chilliwack Search and Rescue is called upon to help those in need.
CS&R is a volunteer organization working under the direction of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Provincial Emergency Program, and in coordination with the Chilliwack Fire Department, Emergency Heath Services and the Coroner.
Covering more an 1,110 kilometres of urban, rural, water and wilderness terrain (stretching from the Vedder Canal to Chilliwack Lake and from the US border to the Fraser River), responding to calls for help can be expensive.
The donation of $920 helps offset some of the costs.
— In late 2003 a group of recreationists with an abiding passion for Vedder Mountain's trails came together to make a difference. Representatives from Backcountry Horseman of BC, Vedder Running Club, Fraser Valley Mountain Bike Association, Chilliwack Outdoor Club, Cascade Off Road Motorcycle Club and Lower Mainland ATV Club formed a unique partnership seldom been seen amongst recreationists.
VMTA began with a mandate to legitimize and sanction the extensive network of trails on Vedder Mountain, and preserve them for future generations. As a result of VMTA's work, trails that would have been lost are open and available for the enjoyment of anyone who wants to venture into the woods.
The $1,472 donation will assist them in maintaining and placing signage on the trails.
More information on the Around the Lake Give'R Take race can be found online at www.aroundthelakegivertake30.ca/