Yes, It’s Amazing

You fancy yourself a good Samaritan: You attend the gala dinners, pop on your tennis shoes for the 5k walks, and volunteer when you find the time. But getting up for all those charity events isn’t easy; couldn’t they organize one that’s a bit more, well, exciting? Well, dearest do-gooder,...

By John Linn

October 9, 2008

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You fancy yourself a good Samaritan: You attend the gala dinners, pop on your tennis shoes for the 5k walks, and volunteer when you find the time. But getting up for all those charity events isn’t easy; couldn’t they organize one that’s a bit more, well, exciting? Well, dearest do-gooder, you’re in luck. Because today, the Salvation Army is holding probably the niftiest charity run we’ve heard about all year: The MOST Amazing Race. Kicking off at 10 a.m. at the Galleria Mall (second floor across from Dillard’s, 2414 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale), this race will pit up to 18 teams of two against each other in a contest of wits and endurance that will span the entire east side of Fort Lauderdale. Receiving only cryptic clues about their next destination, each team will race from checkpoint to checkpoint, completing mental and physical challenges along the way. Oh, did we mention there’s a prize? There is: $1000 cash.

Like most fundraiser races, each team is sponsored, with proceeds going to the Salvation Army’s Children & Families Shelter (specifically much needed renovations to its Hollywood location). As far rules go, the top three fundraising teams will also get a fast forward, allowing them to skip one of the challenges during the day. Also, teams can only use public transportation to get around the city (good luck with the bus schedules!). Sally Gress, the race’s organizer, wouldn’t reveal any hints on the challenges for fear of spoiling them, but she does promise they’ll be tough to tackle. “We’ve been planning [the race] for almost a year, sitting around brainstorming and having a lot of fun with it,” she says. “We even had a couple where we said, “That’s too mean, we can’t do that!” Sign up online at salvationarmybroward.org. And even if you’re not the competitive type, you can still sponsor a team. Call Gress for more info at 954-712-2431.
Sat., Oct. 11, 10 a.m., 2008

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