A 5K and one-mile fun run will be held Oct. 17 in Grove Hill to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mobile.
Race Details
The Hope in Healing race will begin at 8 a.m. Registration is $30 and includes a race T-shirt.
The one-mile fun run alongside the 5K makes the event accessible to families with young children and to participants who want to take part without committing to the full distance — a common format for community charity races, and one that typically broadens turnout considerably.
Where the Money Goes
Proceeds will help provide comfort, care and a home away from home for families with seriously ill or injured children receiving medical treatment.
For families from rural Clarke County, that service addresses a specific and expensive problem. Specialized pediatric care is concentrated in Mobile, roughly an hour and a half away, and a child’s extended hospitalization forces a family to choose between long daily drives, hotel costs they cannot sustain, or being separated from their child. A Ronald McDonald House removes that choice by providing lodging and meals near the hospital.
The Family Behind the Race
The event was inspired by a local family’s personal experience.
In 2024, Lauren Mathews, then 14, underwent heart surgery. Ronald McDonald House Charities provided her family with a place to stay, meals and support during a difficult time.
Races founded by families who used the service they are now raising money for tend to carry a particular kind of credibility in a small community. The organizers are not describing an abstraction; they are describing what happened to them.
Sponsorship Levels
Business sponsorship opportunities are available at three levels: Gold at $100, Silver at $75 and Bronze at $50.
The modest entry point is deliberate. Sponsorship tiers in this range are structured so that a small-town business — a shop, a service provider, a single-location operation — can participate meaningfully, rather than limiting the field to larger employers.
Checks should be made payable to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mobile.
How to Register
To register for the race or to become a sponsor, contact Debra Mathews at 251-275-6531.
Mid-October in south Alabama generally offers comfortable early-morning race conditions, and an 8 a.m. start puts runners on the course before the day’s heat builds.