St. Augustine, Fla. (March 26, 2020) – Playing its part to prevent the spread COVID-19 and keep the community safe, the Betty Griffin Center staff, board of directors and race directors have postponed the 7th Annual Run for Peace 5K – setting the new time and date for 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21 for the event – which takes place at the St. Augustine Pier.

“This is an unprecedented time for all of us, and as an organization, and the health and safety of our staff, vendors, volunteers and race participants is of most importance to us,” said Betty Griffin Center CEO Joyce Mahr.  “This was a tough, but necessary decision that had to be made due to the coronavirus pandemic.”

Mahr says all sponsorship donations received so far will be automatically transferred to the new event date, and all of the same sponsor benefits will apply. Runners who previously registered are automatically signed up for the November date, however volunteers who had signed up for the original April 11 event date need to re-sign up for the Nov. 21 date at https://signup.com/go/GdOkREL.

The family-friendly event benefits the Betty Griffin Center – a nonprofit agency that provides free emergency shelter and other support services for residents experiencing domestic or sexual abuse in St. Johns County. Nearly 600 people took part in the event last year – which has been one of the nonprofit’s biggest fundraisers of the year.”

To register, runners can visit www.runforpeace5k.org or through the events section at www.bettygriffincenter.org.  Adult registration costs $25 through Oct. 31 – increasing to $30 after that date.

People can also participate as virtual runners, and those who can’t participate but would still like to donate to the Betty Griffin Center can do so through the website.

Sponsorships are still available by contacting Betty Griffin Center Director of Development Glenn Newton at glennn@bettygriffincenter.org or by calling (904) 808-8544, extension 208.

For more information on the event, visit www.bettygriffincenter.org or contact event coordinator Kenlie Kubart at 904-808-8544, extension 207, or at kenliek@bettygriffincenter.org.

About Betty Griffin Center

The Betty Griffin Center was founded in 1990 by concerned citizens and incorporated as the Safety Shelter of St. Johns County to develop plans to provide shelter for local victims of domestic violence and their children. In 1992, the nonprofit agency contracted with a local motel for space and started a 24-hour crisis line and court advocacy program. By 1994, the agency purchased and opened Betty Griffin House as permanent shelter. The shelter expanded in 1998 to meet local demand, and a sexual assault program was added the same year. Today, Betty Griffin Center shelters more than 400 victims of domestic and sexual abuse annually, operates a 24-hour help line, provides professional counseling for victims of domestic and sexual abuse, provides age-appropriate violence prevention training and operates two thrift stores at Julington Square and Anastasia Square to assist in funding the agency’s ongoing operations. For more information, visit www.bettygriffincenter.org.

 

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Media Contact:

Ron Whittington

(904) 563-0402

ron@whittingtonpr.com