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A few words of thanks from Race Director Alix Cabral:
April 20, 2003 Having been recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Berkshire Humane Society, I wanted to organize an event in North County that would build awareness of the Berkshire Humane Society, and raise money for our new shelter that is currently under construction. I wanted the event to appeal to all ages and, of course, include animals. I love to race myself, so I thought it would be fun to put on a 5K where people could run with or without their dogs, and so was born The Humane Race. When this idea was brewing, a good friend and alumnus of Williams College, Brian Eng suggested I contact the Lehman Community Service Council at Williams. My initial contact elicited an immediate response from Dani Lerro. She said she thought many students would be interested in volunteering for the Berkshire Humane Society, and through Dani I established a wonderful relationship with a number of terrific Williams students, who also happen to be animal lovers. Three students have been very instrumental in making this event happen. Elizabeth Hewett, Justin Lavner and Vanessa Badino worked tirelessly to plan and promote the race. Without their help this event would not have happened and I am much in their debt. We also had many other wonderful volunteers from Williams College, Mt. Greylock Regional High School, and the local community. Williams College has also been very supportive. Dining Services donated the post-race snacks, vans were made available if we needed them to bring students to and from the race, the Chaplain's office generously funded the T-shirts, meetings were held on campus, and of course, on race day, most of the volunteers were either Williams' students or professors. The Humane Race was a huge team effort spearheaded by many dedicated and caring students. The race simply would not have been possible without the wonderful support we received from Mt. Greylock Regional High School. In addition to allowing us to use their facilities and trails, they set up the course, provided us with timing equipment, water, tables, chairs, restrooms, electricity, parking, and many more intangibles. Cross-Country coach Larry Bell educated us about the timing system, set up the course for us, and basically put up with some very inexperienced novices and somehow made us look like we knew what we were doing. Prizes were awarded to the top finishers in each category. Prizes were donated by local businesses including: The Cottage of Williamstown The Porches Inn at MASS MoCA Jackie's Contemporary Clothing InTouch Massage Therapy Lickety Split Water Street Books Klein's All Sports The Williams Inn Mt. Williams Greenhouses Jiminy Peak Images Cinema Several racers commented to me about the "extravagance" of the prizes we awarded, with a total value somewhere north of $700 (plus another $1,000 worth of T-shirts and bandanas). This was possible only through the great generosity of all the local businesses and individuals that sponsored our event, including: Wellness Pet Foods Waggin' Tails Williamstown Physical Therapy Greylock Animal Hospital West Oil Marianne McDonough & Associates Real Estate Tecado Kaivo New England Advertising Specialties The Law Offices of Sherwood P. Guernsey P.C. Alton & Westall Real Estate Burr & McCallum Architects Umlauf & Dunn, PC Law Office of Robert C. Ware Parese & Sabin, LLP Sweetwood Continuing Care Retirement Center Countryside Landscaping Berkshire Copy Allegro MicroSystems Fred Windover Brad Svrluga & Julie Bowen Please visit our Sponsors page and let these businesses know how much you appreciate their willingness to support an event to benefit the animals of Berkshire County. Thanks to Williams College Chaplain Rick Spalding for hosting the awards ceremony and thanks to our band, "Subject to Change", for entertaining us all. "Subject to Change" is:
Of course, the biggest of thanks has to go to all our wonderful volunteers, who did the work that made the race come together: Elizabeth Hewett Justin Lavner Vanessa Badino Renee Bourgeois Brian Cabral Michelle Cuevas Melody Edwards Holly Edwards Jack & Sheila Faxon Geshri Gunasekera Carl Kubler Talbot Logan Joan Marie Marks Lauren McLaughlin Bill Miller Nicole Poulin Paul Poulin Jared Powell M.J. Prest Kira Williams Janine Wittwer And last, but certainly not least, my thanks to all the racers and their dogs, who spent their money, their time, and (most of all!) their energy to have fun while doing good. Thank you all and see you next year! The Berkshire Humane Society has earned Four Stars for four years running from Charity Navigator (the leading on-line charity evaluator). Only 4% of all the charities reviewed by Charity Navigator have managed this feat. 
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