By Christine Corbett, Director of Philanthropy, David’s Refuge
David’s Refuge is a growing local non-profit with a unique mission to provide respite, resources and support to parents and guardians of children with special needs or life-threatening illnesses in an effort to combat caregiver burnout. They do this through an array of Respite, Wellness and Community programs which remind caregivers they are not alone, what they do matters, and that God and this community loves them.
In 2021, when planning for a unique event at Pineview Run & Country Club, Pierre Morrisseau, CEO of OneGroup wanted to include a charity component, and reached out to the team at David’s Refuge to explore the idea. When asked where the idea came from Pierre shared “I joined Pineview and realized quickly how great it is to have this right in our backyard. The club really focuses on family fun and I think more people need to enjoy the sport of driving on a track. I’ve supported David’s Refuge for a long time and knew David personally. It’s an organization that is focused on supporting families, so I thought why not put the two together?”
At that point, The Pineview Run Celebrity Challenge was born, with local friends signing up to be trained on driving the 1.1-mile racetrack, with a light-hearted race day scheduled for 1 month later. During that month, drivers would raise at least $1,000 to support the mission of David’s Refuge. As a competitive advantage, for every $1,000 that drivers raise, one tenth of a second is taken off their final track time. This means that the slowest drivers still have a great chance of winning the race and claiming bragging rights for the year.
Pierre is not just the brainchild of this event, but he is also a celebrity driver. When asked why he chose to drive in the Pineview Run Celebrity Challenge, Pierre shared “It is a tremendous organization. I have witnessed firsthand the relief, joy and satisfaction this mission brings to caregivers. The rejuvenation it gives so that parents can bring that energy back to those they care for. It’s a gift that’s so important to give.” Pierre has succeeded in raising more than $14,000 for his races, all while introducing new friends to the mission of David’s Refuge.
The last two years have featured 24 amazing local “celebrities” in total and generated more than $75,000 in support of caregivers.
The 2023 Pineview Run Celebrity Challenge will take place in the Spring, if you are interested in joining as a celebrity driver, please contact Christine Corbett, Director of Philanthropy at David’s Refuge, at christinecorbett@davidsrefuge.org.
