On Sunday, September 19th over 250 runners and walkers navigated the private roads surrounding Alexander’s Lake in Dayville, all in the name of raising money for youth wellness programs. The 9th Annual NOW 5k Road Race & Walk subtitled “Lap the Lake” is an annual event held by Northeast Opportunities for Wellness, Inc. (NOW), a non-profit focused on creating opportunities for local children to achieve full body wellness by providing accessibility of fitness, nutrition, sports, and mental wellness activities. In addition to the scenic 5k route around the lake, the event also featured a Kids Fun Run Race that saw just over 50 children ages 2 to 10.

NOW is thrilled to announce that this year’s ~Lap the Lake~ fundraising event raised a record number of funds for the organization with a gross amount of $25,500 and an estimated profit of approximately $19,000. All proceeds will be used to support the NOW youth scholarship program and free wellness programs in the 10-town area of Northeast CT.

With the support of Race Day Sponsor, Centreville Bank, the event saw notable changes in 2021. For the first time in the race’s history, we were excited to welcome Boston Beer Company and Renee’s Bistro & Catering Services to provide complimentary adult beverages, bratwurst sandwiches, and an apple chicken soup. We are very thankful to welcome Bachand, Longo, and Higgins Attorney’s of Law to the event this year as our refreshment sponsor.

For several years, the Road Race has been generously sponsored by Putnam Bank, which shows additional support with dozens of employees participating. We are thankful this year that Centreville Bank has decided to continue this legacy into 2021 and the coming years. NOW was also pleased to welcome a new major sponsor to the event, Spirol international Corporation, which signed on along with Gerardi Insurance to sponsor our Kids Fun Run event. We happily welcomed back Lake Road Generating and Jewett City Savings Bank as our generous starting line and finish line sponsors. The major event sponsors were joined by 22 additional sponsors supporting the official event t-shirt, which for 2021 is a long-sleeved moisture wicking t-shirt.

Cash awards were presented to the top three male and female runners, sponsored by Wheelabrator Technologies and W.F. Shea and Company. All youth runners who ran in either the full 5k or the Kids Fun Run received participation medals.

Executive Director Tayler Shea commented about the race, “We are extremely grateful for all of the support that we received for this year’s Road Race. It has proven to be the most successful year in the history of the event, and it was an exciting year of incredible growth for NOW 5k road race.” Shea continued “Jay Long has been an exceptionally great chair for the road race committee and we are excited to share that we have already begun working on our 2022 road race!”

In addition to the many sponsors that showed support for the event, the Road Race was also supported by several local volunteers. including Elle Goslin who helped mark the beginning of the event with a live rendition of the National Anthem. Gene Michael Deary who lead our awards ceremony following the race. Local photographer Mikayla Gagnon with Ginger Photography took over 250 photos throughout the event. Killingly High School Girls Soccer Team arrived ready to conquer the day with over 40 volunteers. As well, the two water stations that lined the course were supported by volunteers from the Girl Scouts alongside KHS Soccer girls. The Dayville Fire Company offered volunteer support by conducting traffic on Upper Maple Street, ensuring all event participants remained safe. Complimentary refreshments, including water, bananas and clementine oranges were donated by United Natural Foods, Putnam Supermarket, Killingly Stop and Shop, Killingly Target, Putnam Walmart, and Jay Long.

All proceeds from the event will support the many youth programs NOW offers to children residing in the 10-town area of Northeast CT, including youth scholarship support, fitness & nutrition outreach, and free wellness clinics. NOW is a non-profit human services organization focused on youth wellness. NOW provides children with the opportunity to participate in area wellness activities and athletics programs, offering scholarships to the youth of the community with up to 95% of the cost being subsidized by NOW. The mission of the organization is to provide ALL children, regardless of financial resources, equal opportunities to achieve & maintain youth wellness, beginning at an early age.