The first annual Run for Newmarket raised $16,000 in support of BlueDoor and Newmarket Food Pantry, exceeding the organizers' expectations.
Organized by the Newmarket chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, the event was held at Riverwalk Commons last October, with more than 250 participants. said that was way over their expectations for the event.
"Honestly, we did not expect to raise that much as it was our first run. We were overwhelmed by the contributions and support from local Newmarket community," said Salman Ahmad, AMYA vice-president.
Originally they were expecting to raise maybe $3,000 to $5,000. However, as they went through the planning stages and engaging with the community, Ahmad said they noticed support growing.
"We were just blown away," he said. "Everyone came together and just made this a huge success."
This week, representative of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association visited BlueDoor and Newmarket Food Pantry to present each organization with a cheque for $8,000.
On top of delivering the donations, they had to opportunity to tour each organization and learn more about what they do.
"It was just an eye opener to see their operations firsthand...These organizations are doing tremendous work for the betterment of our community," Ahmad said.
The annual event will have different beneficiaries every year to support a wide variety of causes in the community.
Plans are underway for the next run this fall and, according to Ahmad, it will be even better and more exciting than the last one.
