 |
| Jason Feinberg, Chippendales & Mayor Carolyn Goodman |
On
Saturday morning, 9,712 Santas flooded the streets of Town Square in support of
Opportunity Village, winning Las Vegas the “World Santa Challenge” title for
the second year in a row at the eighth annual Las Vegas Great Santa Run.
“We
are thrilled by this year’s turnout, as this was our biggest Great Santa Run
yet,” Linda Smith, Associate Executive Director of Opportunity Village. “Our
wonderful Opportunity Village clients are the reasons why we run, so it was
incredible to have thousands of people come out to support them.”
With
nearly 2,000 more participants than last year, a swarm of Santas met at Town
Square, Las Vegas to enjoy pre-race festivities from some of the best
entertainers on The Strip. The masked men of Jabbawockeez performed
jaw-dropping holiday dance moves while Lorena Peril and the girls from FANTASY
at Luxor delighted the crowd with a rendition of “All I Want for Christmas is
You.”
Grand
Marshal Terry Fator welcomed the runners along with Mayor Carolyn Goodman and
the Chippendales. Guests looked up to the sky to find parachuting Santas coming
in for a landing, followed by Jeff Leibow of JERSEY BOYS at Paris Las Vegas
singing the National Anthem to commence the 5K run, which was followed soon
after by the one-mile Kris Kringle Jingle walk.
After
crossing the finish line, participants were greeted in the parking lot by some
of Las Vegas’ favorite food trucks including Lola D’s, Fat Daddy’s Ice Cream
& Treats, Great BAO, Chi Town Hustler and Sauced, as well as a performance
from the cast of Legwarmers: The Musical – a new, 80s-themed show at Planet
Hollywood. At the awards ceremony, The Venetian won for largest team with more
than 750 members and Circle K Convenience Stores, a sponsor of the event, beat
out the competition with most money raised.
With
a significant lead, Las Vegas once again defeated its toughest “World Santa
Challenge” competition from Liverpool. The “World Santa Challenge” was created
by Santa Fun Run events in the United Kingdom to introduce an element of
playful competition between Santa Runs across the globe.
The
Las Vegas Great Santa Run® serves as the largest annual fundraiser benefitting
Opportunity Village, with thousands of participants flooding the streets for a
5K run and one-mile walk each year.
About
Opportunity Village
Opportunity
Village is a not-for-profit organization that serves people in our community
with significant intellectual disabilities, enriching their lives and the lives
of the families who love them by providing meaningful work and life
experiences. Opportunity Village is Nevada’s largest employer of people with
disabilities and serves nearly 2000 individuals annually, providing vocational
training, employment, habilitation and social recreation programs and services
that make their lives more productive and interesting.
No comments:
Post a Comment