Feb. 1 fundraiser for Run the Rock

A fundraiser for Rockland Community College’s Run the Rock obstacle course/fun run will be held Friday, February 1 at Foggy Bottom Tavern in New City. Proceeds from both the fundraiser and the race support programs for student veterans at RCC and Rockland Homes for Heroes. The third annual Run the Rock is set for Saturday, June 8, at RCC’s main campus in Suffern.

The February 1 fundraiser runs from 6 to 9 pm. The $45 admission includes unlimited beer, wine, soda, appetizers and pizza. Foggy Bottom Tavern is located in the DeCicco’s Shopping Center, 190 South Main Street, New City.

Run the Rock features professionally designed obstacles over a 5K (3.1-mile) course. A portion of the fundraiser proceeds is earmarked for materials to build the obstacles for the course, which include climbing walls, high bars, monkey bars, low crawls and other challenging impediments. Registered entrants for the race receive a commemorative T-shirt and participants medal, and the event also features free activities for all ages, including a bounce house and face painting.

Among the range of services provided to students, RCC Veterans Affairs is a resource for student veterans. Services include academic counseling and resource identification. RCC been designated one of the “Military Friendly Colleges and Universities” and “Best for Vets”. RCC is the first community college in New York to open a chapter of SALUTE, the veterans’ national honor society. RCC currently serves student veterans representing all branches of the United States Military; from the Marines to the Coast Guard having served in a multitude of conflicts including Vietnam, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

“My idea was to have an umbrella fundraiser for veterans groups in the county,” said Jonathan Barnwell, RCC’s Coordinator of Veterans Affairs and founder of Run the Rock. “The more successful we are, the more we can help other veterans groups. As the saying goes, ‘A rising tide lifts all boats.’”

Rockland Homes for Heroes is a nonprofit that develops permanent supportive housing for honorably discharged veterans who are homeless, disabled, or at risk of homelessness. Eight homeless veterans are housed in garden apartments in the development, located at the former Camp Shanks WWII military base in Tappan. Up to 12 new apartments are planned for the second phase of the project.

“Fundraising programs like Run the Rock connect us with the larger community to provide much needed, and well-deserved, support for our student veterans and veterans groups in our region. We take pride in the efforts of our Veterans Affairs Department and the Rockland Community College Foundation to raise awareness and resources through engaging events like these,” commented Dr. Michael A. Baston, president of RCC.

All proceeds from Run the Rock events are managed by the Rockland Community College Foundation, a 510(c)3 charitable organization and will be distributed to RCC’s Veterans Affairs and Rockland Homes of Heroes to support their work with veterans.

For more information or to purchase tickets to the fundraiser, contact Carol Cairo at 845-574-4796 or ccoiro2@sunyrockland.edu or go to http://www.sunyrockland.edu/go/RunTheRock.

Facebook Comments

About the author

Contact us to write for us or to advertise!