Red Shoe Run draws runners to Homewood on cloudy day
More than 600 people were expected to turn out to run or walk as part of the 14th annual Red Shoe Run in Homewood on Saturday, Jan. 27, despite cloudy skies and the threat of rain.
The event, which began at Rosewood Hall downtown, raised money for the Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham and featured a 10-mile run, a 5K run and a 1-mile fun run.
The Ronald McDonald House — which completed a major expansion of its facility in Midtown in January — provides lodging and other comforts to families while their children receive medical treatment at nearby UAB Hospital or Children's of Alabama.
The Red Shoe Run is “a celebration,” said Stephanie Langford, director of marketing and communications for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama. “Families who have stayed with us come in and run the race. There are people from the community who volunteer at our house. And donors come out.”
The event is also a great way to boost public awareness of the Ronald McDonald House and what it offers, Langford said.
“People who don’t know anything about the house come out, and they can learn about our mission and get involved, because it does take the whole community,” she said. “We are the house that love built, and we have to make sure the community knows what we are doing down there.”
The Red Shoe Run typically raises about $50,000, according to Langford.
It is one of three main fundraising events the RMHCA hosts each year, along with the Heart of the House Gala in August and a golf tournament in May, she said.
Between the three large events and some other fundraising activities, the organization is usually able to cover its annual budget, which is now about $2.2 million after the expansion of the house from 41 rooms to 73 rooms, according to Langford.
The facility also provides such amenities as living rooms, laundry facilities, extended stay suites and a game room.
It costs about $95 per night for the Ronald McDonald House to house a family, according to Langford.
And the house can help families tremendously when they least expect it, she said.
“The parents just come to us and they say, ‘I never, ever thought I would need a Ronald McDonald House,’ and then just within a second, things changed in their lives, and we become that support network to help them get through a really tough time in their lives.” Langford said.
For more information, go to rmhca.org or Facebook @rmhcalabama.