Registration is open for the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program’s (GRIP) biggest fundraiser: the 36th Annual Harmony Walk, which will be back in person for the first time since 2019.
The community-based event will take place Saturday, Oct. 22, at Nicholl Park and will include a 5k walk/fun run through the neighborhood as well as an ongoing raffle, guest speakers, vendor booths, and more, according to the Richmond-based GRIP, a long-running collaboration of multi-cultural, multi-ethnic faith congregations that serves 15,000 homeless, hungry and low-income people annually.
Walkers can participate individually, but teams of runners representing faith organizations, workplaces or other groups are encouraged to join as well and can enjoy additional perks, such as having their team name and support for GRIP announced over the public address system.
Set to begin at 9:30 a.m. sharp, the Harmony Walk is “critically important” in that the event brings in the majority of GRIP’s funding for the year. Event sponsors including Kaiser Permanente, Chevron, Sims Metal Management, Audacy Radio, ABC7 News, the San Francisco Chronicle, Mechanics Bank and Catahoula Coffee.
The event begins at 9 a.m. with a pre-walk, pre-run warmup. The 5K runners will start in front, followed by walkers doing a shorter 1-mile course. As the walkers and runners return around 10 a.m., GRIP will announce the winners and there will be performances from local student groups and a chance to learn about the amazing organizations working for the people of the West County and Richmond.
According to GRIP, “Thousands of dollars worth of raffle prizes will be given to registrants, ranging from dinners at fine dining to a sauna trip for two, a bicycle, and an incredibly valuable destination prize involving a Southern California amusement park.”
Every registrant gets a Harmony Walk T-shirt while supplies last, admission to the Nicholl Park and the community events, and free admission to the bounce house for kids 12 and under, plus a raffle prize ticket. Register online for the 2022 Harmony Walk here.
Here is the pathway for the GRIP Harmony Walk.
