The Do Good Dash to Benefit Veterans Happening this Thursday in Greenwood
Monday, July 1st, 2019 -- 1:46 PM
-Make sure you participate in the Do Good Dash in Greenwood on Thursday.I spoke with Aaron Greisen, the Veterans Service Officer for Clark County, and he began explained the Do Good Dash happening at 6pm in Greenwood this Thursday, July 4th.
“Last year, in conjunction with the Clark County American Legion Council, we had this idea to do a Do Good Dash and a fun run to raise money to purchase flag cases. When a veteran passes, the United State Government honors them and their family by providing them a 5x9 flag. We thought it would be a good gesture to raise money to purchase a number of flag cases to give to the veterans family, so that when they get this flag, they can display it proudly. The flag will be protected and it will look nice in their home and honor the veteran and the memory of that person’s service.”
“We solicited donations through businesses in Clark County and it was really well received. We received a lot of donations from all sorts of businesses and even people within the county that thought it was a good endeavor and they sent in checks for this. We ended up raising a little over $6,000 and that allowed to purchase 298 flag cases. And we store those in our office and when a family comes in to fill out the burial benefits for that veteran, we then give them a case just to recognize that veterans service from businesses and people in Clark County.”
“We got really good feedback from that run. There was enough support that we thought it would be a good idea to do it again this year. And so, we plan to continue it this year and maybe every year moving forward on the 4th of July. Like last year, and every year moving forward, the plan would be to hold the run, which is either a one mile or 5K option, and participants are welcome to walk or run, no matter which distance they choose. We would start and finish the run at the George Scherer Athletic Park in Greenwood. People know it as the softball diamond. There’s the Grassland Band Stand down there, etc. We’ll start and finish the race there and the race starts at 6pm. What’s cool about this year is that there’s also going to be a BlueGrass Band playing at the bandstand. And we plan to move the start and finish closer to that, so that when runners finish the race, they’ll have music playing and we’ll have fruit and water and gatorade and other things going on to really make it a coole event.”
“The cost for registration is $25. The registration material, if you’d like to register, is available in our office at the courthouse. Otherwise, if you just put Do Good Dash in on Facebook or if you Google Do Good Dash, there’s some online registration information available as well. The $25 comes with a t-shirt and a cinch sac, which is a small bag that you can wear on your back or carry small items in like gatorade or can koozies.”
“We have the local boy scout troop, which, last year, they were kinda the highlight of the race. They did an amazing job of handing out water during the race to the runners. Of course, the highlight of the night is the fireworks in the city. The City of Greenwood and the local Fire Department do a great job with the fireworks, so if people decide to come to town for the run and don’t want to head home before the fireworks, it’s a great opportunity for your family to enjoy right there in Greenwood.”
“The money raised from the race, we plan to donate to the Clark County Commission. Each county within the state is required by state statute to have a commission. And that commission has certain requirements to meet. It needs to have three veterans from the county serve on the commission. And that commission needs to have a means to provide support for veterans who are in need. The way our commission works is, our committee members for my office, serve on the commission because they our veterans.”
“If a veteran is in need in Clark County, they have the option to come to our office and we have an application. And the grant is established for unforeseen circumstances or something comes up that they weren’t prepared for, like a medical bill or a heating bill, loss of a job, injury and stuff like that. And this is kind of a gap we can provide some assistance to veterans in the county if they’re going through a hardship. Historically, some of the things that we’ve used this money for is medical bills, heating/energy costs, hot water heaters, travel to and from medical appointments and other sorts of bills that are outside of their control.”
“Once an application is filled out, the commission reviews the application, figures out how much money we have allocated, and makes a determination on a case-by-case basis whether to grant a certain amount of money to veterans. The maximum amount for that is $500 and we budget, that money comes out of the tax levy, so we budget each year. It’s tough to determine what amount we would need as we could have a rough winter or the economy would dip, so we might get more applications. By supplementing the commission with this run, it provides us with more flexibility and leeway to help more veterans, which is the overall goal for us.”
Aaron ended our interview by encouraging everyone to come out for the Do Good Dash.
“If you’re looking to help out with a good cause or would just like to walk a mile or walk/run a 5K, this is a great opportunity to get out, get moving. This a great group of people who did the race last year. It turned out really well. You’re supporting a good cause and, in the end, every little bit helps and we appreciate all the donations from people who choose to do the race. It should be a great day!”
Again, the Do Good Dash is July 4th in Greenwood at the ball diamond and it begins at 6pm.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.