Pajama 5k/ Fun Run & PJ Party!
Sleepwear run in Druid Hill benefits Maryland's Fuel Fund
THE BALTIMORE SUN |
MAR 03, 2018 | 3:25 PM
When the organizers of a 5K pajamas-only charity race arrived in Druid Hill Park, they never dreamed that downed tree limbs would be blocking the running path and brisk winds would be no match for their flannel running garb.
“Somehow, by the time the race started, a contractor arrived with a saw and the winds let up a little,” said Kevin Cheung, the Ellicott City man who conceived the Run in Pajamas with his wife, Crystal.
Cheung, 29, a private energy consultant who works with nonprofits and other clients, said the aim was to raise funds and awareness for the Fuel Fund of Maryland. They picked a cold time of the year to make a point for this first-time event that was headquartered in a park picnic pavilion.
“My wife and I brainstormed about a serious subject. But we also wanted something fun. We thought about pajamas, not yoga pants,” he said as he sat on a picnic bench.
He wore a one-piece dinosaur suit.
“I have to know a lot of people in the energy-efficiency community,” he said. “The race was a way to bring them together and create awareness of how the fuel fund supports families with children.”
Other competitors arrived as Batman and other cartoon characters. Many raced in multiple layers; several shed fleecy tops at the halfway point when the temperatures — and the wind — finally moderated.
The race’s organizers hoped for 80 runners. About 25 showed up and ran. Another handful walked the course. The event’s organizers estimated they would be giving the fuel fund $1,000.
Bobby Stewart, a 20-year-old University of Delaware student from Oceanside, N.Y., heard about the race and drove down overnight. Because bridges were closed, it took him nine hours.
“I view running as a mindful activity,” said Stewart, who is majoring in philosophy and international studies. “It’s a way to compare yourself to other people.”
By the end of the day, the organizers’ supply of bottled water remained little used. The hot coffee, however, was gone. Throughout the afternoon the runners switched to dancing and listening to music in the picnic pavilion.
Many of the runners said they had never been to Druid Hill Park.
Davis Pfund, a University of Delaware student from Towson majoring in entrepreneurship and technology innovation, represented Zerodraft Maryland, an energy consulting business, and Metta Creative, an event organizer.
"We want to party and feel good about it,” Pfund said. He defined his goal as “”inspiring … millennials to act and live more sustainably through social-action nightlife.”
“We want to find ways for millennials to have fun without binge drinking,” he said. “An event like this is perfect.”
Danielle Phelps, who works at the Maryland Fuel Fund, said she was pleased her charity had been adopted by the young runners.
“It’s exhilarating and awesome,” she said.
“People do not realize that the inability to pay a fuel bill causes homelessness in renters,” she said. “It’s really staggering. and something that people who pay their fuel bills don’t think about. Being thrown out of a rental property breaks up families and scatters children. We want to keep families together.”
Winter is in full effect, and there are children freezing through some long, cold nights RIGHT HERE in our neighborhoods.
Come join us for an awesome 5k / 1-mile fun at Druid Hill Park where you can join in on running in Pajamas (onesies encouraged) for a great cause and experience a Mettā Party afterward, where you'll find:
- Delicious Food Trucks
- Talented Local Artists
- Local Artisan Vendors
- Networking Opportunities
- Live Music / Resident DJs (lineup below)
ALL PROCEEDS GO TOWARDS THE FUEL FUND OF MARYLAND:
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The Fuel Fund of Maryland provides resources to vulnerable Maryland families for heat and home utility needs. Last year…
- 13,187 Children Saved From Crisis
- 10,830 Families Supported
- $.93 of Every Dollar Goes to Families Served by the Fuel Fund
PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS:
- Nonpayment of energy bills is the No. 2 reason people lose their homes, right behind failure to pay the rent.
KEEPING CHILDREN IN SCHOOL:
- One of the greatest tragedies of evictions caused by utility turnoffs is that children not only lose their homes, they also lose their schools, teachers, friends and neighborhood support systems.
ASSISTING THE ELDERLY & DISABLED:
- Combine static incomes with double-digit inflation for medications, along with rising food prices, and the net effect is an ever-widening affordability gap for vulnerable Marylanders.
PROMOTING SAFE HOMES:
- Without energy, families use makeshift means to heat and light their homes, which can prove fatal.
WE ARE SAVING THE EARTH:
- The Fuel Fund teaches energy conservation through its Watt Watchers program, leading to lower energy bills and a healthier environment for all.
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About half of the people helped by the Fuel Fund of Maryland are kids, so let's break out the tennis shoes, wake up from hibernation, put on your PJs and come #PartyWithPurpose !
Following the run, everyone is invited to hangout and meet the Mettā Creative Family and Friends at an awesome post-party right in Druid Hill Park with resident DJs to get you jumping!
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What is it?
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An awesome 5k / 1-mile fun run where you can run in your Pajamas for a great cause! Oh, and awesome Pajama party that will get you jumping!
Where is it?
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Latrobe Pavilion
Druid Hill Park
900 Druid Park Lake Dr,
Baltimore, MD 21217
When is it?
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SATURDAY MARCH 3, 2018
10:00 am: 5K Check-In Open
11:30 am: 5K Run Starts
12 Noon: 1 Mile Fun Run Check-In Open
1:30 pm: 1 Mile Fun Run Starts
2:00 pm: 5K Winners announced
3:00 to Dusk: Pajama Party! Music Fun and Food!
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MUSIC LINEUP:
12 pm: InDeafinite
1 pm: The New Workingmen
2 pm: Brendan Price
3 pm: Lunar Sundance
4 pm: DJ Topedo
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InDeafinite: https://www.facebook.com/indeafinite/
The New Workingmen: https://www.facebook.com/thenewworkingmen/
Brendan Price: https://soundcloud.com/xbrendanpricex
Lunar Sundance: https://themusicalplant.world/lunar-sundance
DJ Topedo: https://www.facebook.com/DJT0PED0/
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Make sure you plan your day with plenty of time, and we can't wait to see you there! :)
RIDE SHARE: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1b7ISQlpS7vSomBSnubmVCH1mYlmMgIdV8BMi-cigltc/edit?usp=sharing
$25 to run/ walk and support the children :)
$10 recommended donation just to party/ see music!!
VOLUNTEER & party for free!
https://www.comevolunteer.com/events/12323-pajama-run-for-the-fuel-fund/volunteer