Amplify: Red Day Run – Edmond’s largest charitable 5K is back October 1st!

Edmond’s largest charitable run, the RED Day Run, is back for its biggest year yet and needs your help! The charitable 5K and 1 mile fun run will be held October 1st and has a goal of 1,500 participants raising $250,000 to distribute to nine local nonprofits. Whether it be running, walking, volunteering, or sponsoring, the eighth annual RED Day Run wants you to get involved.

The nine named charities vying for the largest percentage of funding are: OKC Dream Center, Wings Special Needs Community, Project 66 Food & Resource Center, Pepper’s Ranch, Make-A-Wish Oklahoma, Folds of Honor Oklahoma, Edmond Public Schools Foundation, Edmond Mobile Meals, and new this year: Halo Project.

“The RED Day Run is a unique way for everyone to support local charities,” said 2022 Run Director, Kim Baker, “and serve the ever-growing needs of Edmond citizens by running or walking on this spirited morning!  Please consider joining us virtually (before 8pm Sat., Oct. 1st) or by showing up in person to contribute your own energy and excitement as we strive to reach the $1M mark in donations!”

In 2021, the RED Day Run distributed $220,000 to 21 local charities allowing them to directly help tens of thousands of metro-area residents. Since the event’s inception in 2015, over $900,000 has been raised and donated by the RED Day Run for those most in need in and around Edmond.

Sponsors and Run registrants get the choice to participate in the 5K or the 1-mile fun run, to run as a charity’s team member, and most importantly, to vote for their favorite charity! The organizations will receive the funds raised from registrations and sponsorships on a pro-rata basis determined by the number of votes each charity receives. Sponsorship opportunities are still available and registration can be completed on the race website, reddayrun.com.

2021’s top prize of $55,000 went to Project 66 Food Pantry, a ministry providing food and other resources to families with food insecurity in Edmond, Arcadia, and the surrounding communities. Set up like a grocery store, Project 66 is a client choice pantry.

Wings Special Needs Community was runner up, receiving $44,000. Wings exists to enhance the lives of adults with special needs through creative post high school educational programs and specialized job training, encouraging members to realize the vast potential inside them, achieve new levels of independence, and thrive.

Coming in 3rd place was The Edmond Public Schools Foundation. The $33,000 received will provide extra funding to the 25,000 students and 1,500 teachers of the Edmond Public Schools system, allowing for more technology, curriculum advances, grants and more.

Finishing 4th was Folds of Honor Oklahoma, receiving $22,000. Folds of Honor provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of the fallen, wounded, and disabled military veterans who served in the armed forces. Last year Folds of Honor Oklahoma provided 261 scholarships, 35 of which went to students right here in Edmond.

Pepper’s Ranch came in 5th place, receiving $13,200. Pepper’s Ranch serves children in Oklahoma DHS custody uniting sibling groups, onsite therapy and services, the hope of a home, the hope of a family, and the hope of a bright future.

In 6th place receiving $11,000 was Edmond Mobile Meals. Edmond Mobile Meals has delivered over 1,000,000 meals to elderly and disabled persons who are unable to prepare meals for themselves. The caring volunteers who deliver the meals with a smiling face allow frail, homebound persons to remain independent and in their own homes.

Finishing 7th, Make-A-Wish Oklahoma received $11,000. Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions all over Oklahoma, providing a truly game changing experience for both the child enduring treatment and their family.

OKC Dream Center finished 8th in 2021, receiving $8,800. The organization exists to reach, rescue, and restore people isolated by poverty in Edmond and OKC. They aim to do this by meeting basic needs, providing preventative programs for at-risk kids and youth, establishing relationships and referrals through our Community Resource Center, and the Dream Living Transitional Program for men.

Halo Project will be joining the RED Day Run as a named charity this year, following a few years as a tithe charity. Halo Project believes there is hope for every child and family to experience healing through connection. Everyday, they equip families and community partners with proven methods to work toward individual healing and disrupt the cycle of hurt in our community. Halo believes that when people are seen, heard, and valued, they not only survive, they thrive.

In addition to the 9 named charities, the RED Day Run also tithes to a number of other local non profits. They are: Fostering Sweet Dreams, Friends of Guthrie Animal Shelter, All Things Baby, Warriors for Freedom, Anna’s House Foundation, Angel Foster Family Network, The Fine Arts Institute of Edmond, The K Club, Citizens Caring for Children, Project 31, Turning Point Ministries, Filing Tummies, Project Halo, and UR Special.

Introduced in 2009, RED Day was created by Keller Williams Realty International to recognize the leadership of KW Vice-Chairman of the Board and long-time Edmond resident, Mo Anderson, in crafting the culture of the company. Giving back to the community in which KW realtors live and work is at the heart of this company culture. Designed to fulfill the ‘Giving Where You Live’ montre, RED Day is celebrated the second week of May.

The company-wide day of giving earned its moniker from the signature hue of the real estate company and also serves as an acronym of the principles describing our goal: Renew, Energize, Donate.

Each Keller Williams market center is free to choose how they spend that day, and the RED Day Run is Central Oklahoma’s version. In 2015, the Edmond market center decided to transition the day of service to a day of fundraising, widening the scope of those impacted by their efforts.

Registration is open and is only $40 per runner! ( $20 for 12 and younger). Each sponsor and registrant has the opportunity to vote for his or her favorite of the seven local non profits and choose to participate in the 5k or the 1 mile fun run.

If you or your business is interested in giving back with us, sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more information, contact us at reddayrun@gmail.com.

To register for the run and to find out more about the local non profits benefiting from the fundraiser, visit www.reddayrun.com.