Bonny Lea Farm invites ‘anyone’ to take part in the Blue Nose Marathon

Has the Blue Nose Marathon become part of your May long weekend tradition? Have you thought about signing up for it, but didn’t want to go alone? Bonny Lea Farm in Chester is encouraging you to become part of their team to help them reach their fundraising goal.

Team Bonny Lea Farm will be participating in the five-kilometre event in Halifax on Saturday, May 21 at 3 p.m. However, you can be a part of Team Bonny Lea Farm whether you run, walk, ride or wheel in the Blue Nose Marathon event of your choice.

The Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon Charity Challenge is an opportunity for Team Bonny Lea Farm to not only raise funds, but to also build the strength and pride of Bonny Lea participants in accomplishing personal goals.

Team Bonny Lea Farm includes participants, family members, staff, donors, volunteers, board members and community supporters. Whether you run, walk, wheel or donate, you are a key part of the team.

“This will be our fourth year participating in the Blue Nose charity event. We have more than 25 members on our team so far — five of whom are originally from HRM — and we are hoping we can set some records for our fundraising and our team size,” says Jane Rafuse, who is organizing Bonny Lea Farm’s team. “We’d be thrilled to have anyone who is planning to participate in the event to sign up as part of our team.”

Teams can raise funds through donations to the team or individual sponsorships. In addition to the funds raised directly by the team or its members, there are also prizes of $4,000 from Scotiabank for the team with the most members, the team that raises the most funds or the team with the highest individual fundraiser. Bonny Lea Farm is hoping to win in at least one of these categories.

Over the past three years Team Bonny Lea Farm has raised nearly $18,000.

The funds raised went toward having a new elevator installed to increase the freedom and independence of our participants who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices.

“The new elevator makes it easier to get around,” says Halifax native Joanne Boswell, one of the 37 participants who live and work at Bonny Lea Farm.

This year, Team Bonny Lea Farm is raising funds to support a mobility project to remove the humps and bumps created through use, time and weather along the routes used by their participants to get to and from work each day and increase their enjoyment of being outside.

For participants who rely on wheelchairs or mobility devices, a smooth surface is vital to their independence, mobility and safety.

“Our fundraising goal for this year is $7,500. But we’d love to surpass it!” says Rafuse.

What you can do

Join Team Bonny Lea Farm

Be a part of Team Bonny Lea Farm while participating in the Blue Nose Marathon event of your choice.

•Register as part of Team Bonny Lea Farm and raise more than $250 and they will reimburse you for your registration fee. If you donate it back to them, they will give you a tax receipt for that amount.

•Register for the Blue Nose Marathon race event of your choice, create an online fundraising account for Bonny Lea Farm and fundraise through the event’s secure online fundraising system. How? Go online to www.bluenosemarathon.com and click on the “Register Now” button, complete your registration and then select Team Bonny Lea Farm as your charity of choice.

•Register before Feb. 29 for only $41.

•Register by April 30 for only $52.

•If you are already registered for the Blue Nose Marathon, you can join Team Bonny Lea Farm by selecting Bonny Lea Farm as your charity of choice.

If you would like to support the team but not participate in the event, making a pledge for Team Bonny Lea Farm or one of the team members is easy:

1. Go to www.bluenosemarathon.com.

2. Click on “Charity Challenge.”

3. Click on “Sponsor a fundraiser” or “Sponsor a team.”

4. Enter the team member’s name or “Bonny Lea Farm.”

5. Make your pledge.

About Bonny Lea Farm

Bonny Lea Farm is a charitable organization located in Chester, Nova Scotia. The organization has been supporting adults from across the province living with disabilities since 1973, offering residential and vocational programming.

Bonny Lea Farm is committed to empowering special needs individuals, providing opportunities to experience faith, self-respect, love one for another, dignity, integrity, productivity and responsible community living.

Each person who comes to Bonny Lea Farm has the chance to learn, grow and succeed.