Light of Life — Lighting the Way for Runners at the Yinzer 5k Fundraiser

Daniel Little
Aug 23, 2017 · 3 min read

On August 19th, involveMINT participated in the Yinzer 5k — a race to raise money for Light Life Rescue Mission, an organization based on Pittsburgh’s North Side that offers many programs that serve the the homeless, poor, addicted, abused and needy.

For the race, participants dressed up in all sorts of silly yinzer-themed attire, and then raced along along Pittsburgh’s picturesque North Shore near the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers.

The Yinzer 5k took place right in front of Stage AE near the WWII Verterans memorial on Pittsburgh’s North Shore.

Unsurprisingly, the 5k was not short of mullets…

Chuck the DJ spins the tunes, and people’s heads when they see his (fake) mullet.

Of course, volunteers were needed to hand out water to those in the race. Several water stations were set up along the path, making sure runners were well-hydrated during the muggy August morning. involveMINT volunteers had the opportunity to sign up to pass out water during this event through the Android app.

Volunteers for the 5k poured 200 water cups for 155 runners. The bright yellow vests helped volunteers guide runners on the path.

And runners came to 2 mile mark plenty thirsty…

Water greets the runners at the 2 mile mark near the Heinz Lofts.

At the finish, runners had the chance to catch their breaths, while volunteers got to see their costume swag…

Runners run (or walk) across the finish line. A runner reps a yellow ‘Yinz Run Like Jagoffs’ t-shirt. Although jagoffs were few and far between at this event.

After the race ended, it was time to celebrate! A full Pittsburgh-style meal spread was provided courtesy of Uncle Charley’s sausage — and Smiley Cookies from Eat n’ Park.

Smileys, sausages and pierogies. What could be a better yinzer spread?

And after the food, comes awards. To dedicate the awards, several Pittsburgh personalities showed up, including Jim Krenn — best known as the former co-host of the DVE morning show, Victoria Piekut — National American Miss Pennsylvania 2017, and Jackie Cain — news anchor and correspondent from WTAE TV.

The always entertaining Jim Krenn hosts the awards ceremony.

Some of the most “photogenic” awards came during the “Best Costume” ceremony. We had many repping the mullets, terrible towels and even one going full-on yinzer pirate.

A skirt full of terrible towels came as runner up in the best costume category.

Fun fact, Miss Pennsylvania (left) is actually the sister of one of our lead developers.

Victoria and Jackie present the prize for best costume to Mr. Pirate (?) and also share a few laughs.

Oh, and don’t forget about the kids category as well!

This little angel won the award for best junior costume. There really should be a Pittsburgh-themed superhero with a cape!

Overall, it was a very entertaining and impactful event. Light of Life raised in total $12,263 to support their work with the homeless and needy on the North Side.

Volunteers for the Hydration Station at 2 mile mark. Cheers to a job well-done!

It seems fitting that Light of Life, one of the first organizations to sign on to involveMINT, becomes one of the first organizations to participate with us and we look forward to our partnership to come!

You can still volunteer for Light of Life by going to our website. Light of Life are looking for individuals to prepare food in their North Side kitchen (10 E North Ave) weekdays from 1–3pm.

Stay tuned for additional stories from our partners!

involveMINT

SERVE your community. EARN TimeCredits. SPEND locally. www.involvemint.io

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Daniel Little

Written by

CEO of involveMINT

involveMINT

SERVE your community. EARN TimeCredits. SPEND locally. www.involvemint.io

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