Orion Federal Credit Union picks up the baton and carries forward the 21-year history of the Gibson Guitar 5K benefitting St. Patrick Community Outreach, Inc. The inaugural Orion 5K takes place on Saturday, June 9 at 7 pm.
The 3.1-mile course will take runners through historic Beale Street and alongside the Mississippi River with a finish line near FedEx Forum and St. Patrick Church, where a family-friendly post-race celebration will take place. Music, food, beer, and other refreshments will be available. The first 2,000 participants who cross the finish line will receive an Orion 5K Finisher’s Medal. A Kid’s Fun Zone will provide entertainment, while others may enjoy Miller Lite from A.S. Barbaro as well as fare some of favorite Memphis’ food vendors.
“The Orion 5K race has a rich tradition in the Memphis community. We invite all from the Mid-South to participate in this fun, family-friendly event that shows off our city from Beale Street to the river, and down South Main. It’s a unique race that celebrates our city’s culture and hospitality,” says Daniel Weickenand, Orion CEO.
St. Patrick Community Outreach, Inc. is aa 501(c)3 nonprofit that carries fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthy foods to parts of the community without access to high-quality nutrition. It runs the Green Machine Mobile Food Market, a MATA city bus renovated to serve as a rolling farmers market. In addition, St. Patrick’s Community Outreach, Inc. feeds the hungry each Sunday at its headquarters at Pontotoc Ave. and 4th Street near FedEx Forum. The agency operates the city’s largest emergency food pantry in Memphis’s most economically challenged zip code, 38126.
In previous years, the charity 5K has funded an after-school tutoring program, a computer lab, sports teams, music lessons, and field trips for children from 38126, the zip code immediately south of FedEx Forum. Gibson Foundation will donate two guitars for a charity auction at the 2018 Orion 5K.
The Inaugural Orion 5K is presented by Orion Federal Credit Union, Main Street Dental/ Dr. Jodi Rump, DDS, FedEx, Sharp, Robbins and Popwell, LLC, Christopher and Michelle Clothier, Landers Ford, Southland Park Gaming and Racing, and Woodard Properties. WMC Action News 5 returns as media sponsor for this charity 5K race for the 22nd consecutive year.
WHAT: Inaugural Orion 5K for St. Patrick Community Outreach, Inc.
WEBSITE Orion5k.racesonline.com
WHERE: Near FedEx Forum, 4th & Martin Luther King Ave
WHEN: Saturday, June 9, 2018 at 7 pm
WHY: To raise critical funds for St. Patrick Community Outreach, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit that feeds hungry children and families and operates the Green Machine Mobile Food Market.
WHO: The event is presented by the staff and volunteers of St. Patrick Community Outreach, Inc. You can volunteer by submitting your name on the website.
INFO: Race Director Joe Birch is available at 901.726.0419 or [email protected]
