Horizon West Laces Up For the Inaugural OctoBEARfest 5k Fun Run

As Horizon West continues to expand, eager and passionate residents are taking initiative to establish the community’s unique identity and traditions. Next month Horizon West will welcome its first official community race – the inaugural OctoBEARFest 5K Fun Run and Festival which takes place on October 20th from 8am to Noon in the Hamlin Town Center.

We recently sat down with Kari Schmitz who co-founded Bears Who Care (along with her husband Tad Schmitz) to get more insights about their organization and this new annual event.

Here’s what she shared with us:

What is the inspiration behind Bears Who Care?
My husband, Tad, and I are very entrepreneurial by nature, and we wanted to channel that into giving back to others. We were also inspired by Tad’s folks, as they run a very successful charity in IL. My parents were educators (my mother was a reading specialist), and Tad’s grandfather’s name is Teddy, so we decided to combine two ways to bring comfort to children: teddy bears and books. We officially started Bears Who Care ten years ago with 50 teddy bears and 50 books and have grown it organically to where we’ve distributed teddy bears and books to over 11,000 children through schools, hospitals, churches and more.

Why are you starting a 5K fun run?
Over the past few years we’ve had successful private fundraising events hosted in the evenings with primarily adults in partnership with Gary Lambert. Gary is a very generous business owner in Winter Park who owns and operates Gary Lambert Salon, the Presenting Sponsor of Bears Who Care. Now that we are Summerlake residents, we decided to change our approach and create an event that is family-focused, encourages health (we are a “running” family), and gives us a way to embrace the Horizon West community. OktoBEARFest is based on an annual party we used to have at our home (Tad and I both have German heritage and last names), so why not bring it back to life in a major way and invite everyone in Horizon West? Just like we couple teddy bears and books, this event is a 5K fun run and a festival that’s free for the community.

Has anything surprised you about planning your first 5K event?
Fortunately, I have a cousin who hosts his own 5K in Virginia Beach, so he gave us a solid understanding of all that is involved. With this type of event, there are lots of details to manage, so we’ve quickly had to learn how to divide and conquer and delegate, since we can’t do everything ourselves.

We didn’t fully realize that not only does our charity give back, but with this OktoBEARFest event, we are also creating more opportunities for others to help and give back. I guess what could be considered surprising is how much the community, including several local businesses, is already embracing and supporting our event.

Frankly, it all started with Horizon West Happenings , which is now a Mama Bear Sponsor and the official media partner for OctoBEARFest . The Horizon West Happenings team answered our Facebook message and began introducing us to several local contacts, who have introduced us to more contacts and so on! It’s the first time we are doing this, and we know that our sponsors are taking a leap of faith that our event will be successful. Believe me, we are doing everything we can to make sure that everyone who attends has a wonderful time and returns again next year!

What should the participants expect?
First and foremost, everyone will have a great time! Make sure you hang out after the 5K, because there is fun for all ages. Details are still being finalized, but here are a few highlights:

• OktoBEARFest 5K Fun Run through the Hamlin area
  
• Kid’s race (following the 5K)
  
• DJ Charles and his Mix on Wheels Hummer X3 entertainment vehicle
  
• OktoBEARFest festival with games, food vendors, sponsor booths and kid’s activities

Runners will receive a t-shirt and finisher’s medal (while supplies last), and they must be registered by October 9. The festival part is free to the public, so we encourage everyone to come, even if they don’t participate in the fun run.

We encourage you to visit our Facebook page for the latest event updates:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1871653932897422/

To register for the 5K Fun Run, go here:
https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/WinterGarden/BearsWhoCareOktoBEARfest5KFunRun

For more information about Bears Who Care visit:
http://www.bearswhocare.org/.

We hope you’ll join us at this event to support a wonderful cause and welcome the first official community race to Horizon West!