First Christmas Town Run for Charity

By WYDaily Staff Saturday, November 06, 2010

It’s no fun to run on a treadmill. It’s also no fun as a kid not to get a gift for Christmas.

Busch Gardens and Chick-fil-A are going to help locals fix these two unrelated problems, at least for a day, with the Christmas Town Dash 8K to benefit Toys for Tots on December 5. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the local Marine Corps Toys for Tots, and toys will be collected on race day, as well.

The run idea stemmed from a partnership between Busch Gardens and local Chick-fil-A operators who felt there was a unique opportunity to leverage the influence of both brands to not only promote Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration, but also promote community health and fitness and a worthy cause.

“We’re excited to partner with Chick-fil-A for this holiday run in our park,” said Scott Clemons, Busch Gardens’ director of marketing. “Not only are we planning a challenging course through the world’s most beautiful theme park, we are supporting a great cause through the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program.”

Peninsula Chick-fil-A operators felt the idea was a good fit with their corporate values. Toys for Tots is a great organization that mirrors the values of Chick-fil-A,” said Newport News operator Kevin Harrison. “We look for ways to partner with community-minded organizations such as Busch Gardens, and the Christmas Town Dash 8k is a great way to do that.”

The race is also sponsored by C&F Bank and Ferguson, and will feature a “Running of the Chick-fil-A Cows” family fun run before the main event. The fun run, presented by Dominion Resources, will kick off at 8 a.m. and the 8K will start at 8:30 a.m.

The run is limited to the first 2,000 people to sign-up, so don’t wait until the last minute to register.

For details or to register for the 8K or the family fun run, visit online or call (757) 849-8566.