US – San Antonio Jingle Bell Run To End Arthritis Event

Saturday December 12, 2015, started out as an overcast cool day in San Antonio, Texas, but it was a perfect day for the Jingle Bell Run to shine! RRT Volunteers from San Antonio gathered at the Valero Grounds, which are headquarters for the 36 billion dollar company, Valero Energy, to assist the American Arthritis Foundation begin preparing for their 2015 Jingle Bell Run to End Arthritis Fundraising Event.

Jingle Bell Run to End Arthritis Fundraising Event

Arthritis is an informal way of referring to more than a 100 types of joint diseases that affect 53 million adults and 300,000 children in the US. Arthritis is painful and it prevents people from leading active, healthy lifestyles. It also means that people living with Arthritis are more likely to develop other serious illnesses. The Arthritis Foundation offers people with this disease a simple yet effective way to conquer the everyday battles and helps them to take control of their condition. These fundraising events allow the community to join the fight against arthritis as well as provide an opportunity for people to get the support they need while still supporting others.

Setting up the tables

At the start of the day, the RRT volunteers began assisting the event coordinators by setting up tents, tables, signage and water stations. Once the crowds began to form on the grounds, the volunteers directed lines to the registration desk.

Passing out water bottles to the runners

Over 1500 walkers and runners of all ages and abilities arrived at the Jingle Bell Run to support the mission. At 4:00pm everyone gathered at the start line and the race started with a bang. Runners took of across the line as this was a timed event and the clock had started ticking.

Final clean up

There was no shortage of water bottles to hand out, thanks to a local brewery, one of the main sponsors of the event, who provided the abundant supply of water. RRT also provided a water station along the route which was dismantled and moved to its next location along the route, once all the walkers had passed by. Before long the last walker passed the finish line and the event started to wind down.

Some of the RRT volunteers and Event Coordinators

As the sun set for the day the volunteers started a general clean up and close down of the event. The darkness added an interesting twist for the clean-up crew, but at least the rain held off until the last of the areas were tidied up. Business went on as usual at Valero as the volunteers drove out for the day. It was another great day, full of challenges and full of enjoyment and the event had finished up without a hitch. The Jingle Bell Run surpassed the Goal of $110,000 raising a grand total of $113,033 for the American Arthritis Foundation.