Children participating in the ROC after school program will have a chance to ride the Terroir Run Taxi thanks to ongoing support from an annual running event taking place in Prince Edward County.

After eight years of support for a wide number of Prince Edward County community initiatives, Terroir Run founders Rebecca and Andrew Mackenzie have announces all proceeds and awareness from their annual June fun run event will be directed to the ROC in support of the Prince Edward County Youth Centre’s after-school taxi and food programs.

“Andrew and I have a deep relationship with Prince Edward County and our run started as a personal project that celebrated the landscape, people and products in a healthy and fun way but at its heart has always been a platform to give back to this community we love,” said Rebecca Mackenzie.

Andrew and Rebecca Mackenzie. (Michael Grills photo)

The Terroir Run has become an annual spring tradition for local wine and culinary aficionados who enjoy jogging along the rolling the Prince Edward County landscape and attracts hundreds of participants from across the province to participate.

The event typically brings over $50,000 of economic activity into the Prince Edward County each year and run proceeds previously supported County FM, the Quinte Humane Society, Slow Food PEC, education bursaries, the Canadian Cancer Society, etc.

“Although we love all these initiatives, we’ve always felt we can have more impact if we focus on a single cause especially one with a vision of giving ‘every young person in Prince Edward County an equal chance to excel in life’. To this end, we’ll be donating all funds from our annual run, encouraging our runners, friends and family to make personal charitable donations, and will volunteer time to help develop food programming partnerships,” Andrew Mackenzie added.

Driven by a team of dedicated volunteers, the ROC began in 2000 with a belief in the potential of youth and a vision to help guide them through the major and recurring difficulties in their lives.

A core element of the organization is the Prince Edward County Youth Centre which provides a safe, supervised space for teens to flourish and grow.

One challenge with their key after-school program is that many high-school students want to participate but travel logistics make it extremely difficult.

In the past the ROC has run a taxi program so kids outside the Picton area can use the centre without the anxiety of getting home but the consistency of this service was resource dependent.

“We’re thrilled to announce that Terroir Run will be donating funds to support a ‘Terroir Run Taxi’ and will also work closely with us to strengthen our after-school snack program,” said Lesley Lavender, Community Development Director & Special Projects.

“The ROC provides a safe place for our young people to call their own, programming to develop life skills, and mentorship relationships that builds the confidence to succeed,” added Darlene Thompson, Executive Director. “Knowing they’ll have a healthy snack and a ride home makes it easier for some of our kids to make the Youth Centre a regular part of their lives so we’re thankful for the Terroir Run partnership.”

Learn more about the ROC and how you can support them at theroc.ca, and participate in the 9th Annual Terroir Run on Saturday, June 1, 2019 at terroirrun.com.

-Staff