A chance to indulge your love of all things chocolate and help a worthy cause at the same time is what the Chocolate Run is all about.
The 14th annual Chocolate Run to benefit Open Hearts Community Mission is set for Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Georgia Southern University RAC Pavilion. The Fun Run/Walk begins at 8:30 a.m., the 5K begins after that event, and awards are announced at 10 a.m.
For more information or to register for the race, visit www.thesweetestrace.com, check out the Open Hearts Community Mission Facebook page or follow posts on www.ohcm.org.
Registration is $13. 25 for the Fun Run and $33.75 for the 5K run. Register by Feb. 14 to guarantee you will receive a race T-shirt.
Participants are indulged with sweet treats, the T-shirt, a finisher medal (while supplies last) and lots of chocolate.
The inaugural Chocolate Run was the brainchild of the Leadership Bulloch Class of 2013 to benefit what was then only a dream and idea of a place to serve the homeless of Bulloch County. As a result of the event and other generous donations, the construction of the mission opened in 2017. Over the past 13 years, the Chocolate Run has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the mission.
Open Hearts Community Mission is a faith-based ministry dedicated to serving the homeless. The mission statement reads, “To feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, restore the downtrodden and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The 34-bed mission was built behind the Statesboro Post Office to allow for growth to meet the needs of Bulloch County’s homeless. Residents are required to work, or actively seek employment, and save toward independent living. All residents have a case manager, mentor and life coach to help them craft goals and markers for moving forward in life.
Now in its ninth year serving the community, the Mission assists on any given day about 20 people, including children and families, of every race, religion and background. The two biggest challenges people who come to Open Hearts face, Executive Director Delia Mobley said, are mental health issues and addiction.
“Providing a path for less fortunate members of our community who will seek to improve their lives is what we do every day,” Mobley said. “This is why we run.”