I Like Pie Run/Walk raises over $40K on Thanksgiving

Bend is a community that comes together in support of worthy causes, and this year’s Thanksgiving morning race was a perfect example.

After years of hosting separate events in downtown Bend and the Old Mill District, FootZone, Boys & Girls Clubs of Bend and Cascade Relays Foundation partnered in a joint effort to raise funds for two local organizations: Girls on the Run of Central Oregon and NeighborImpact.

This newly formed event partnership retained the popular name “I Like Pie” and combined the best of both events to offer a premier Thanksgiving event in the Old Mill District for locals and visitors.

About 3,100 people participated in I Like Pie this year, making it one of Central Oregon’s
largest events, and raised a total of $40,740.98 to split between NeighborImpact and Girls on
the Run of Central Oregon. By combining events, this new event partnership increased
fundraising by 62% compared to 2016 when they were separate events.

Girls on the Run inspires girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based
curriculum which creatively integrates running. NeighborImpact changes lives by helping
families access skills for success, family services, financial assistance, food, housing, heat, and
energy assistance.

This new partnership to produce one community event on Thanksgiving morning would not be
possible without the resources and leadership of Cascade Relays Foundation co-founder, Scott
Douglass, GOTR Council Director, Emily Usselman and the team at FootZone. It was a
community effort and volunteers and staff from all organizations came together to produce a
high quality event.

While the name I Like Pie is new to the Old Mill District and Girls on the Run, it is a longstanding
event hosted by FootZone. In addressing the longevity of the event,

Teague Hatfield said ” It’s exciting to see an event that we’ve loved for the past decade grow and evolve into something so much of the community can enjoy on Thanksgiving morning, while raising funds for two great local organizations. This was a community effort and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.”

Emily Usselman from Girls on the Run added, “We’re incredibly grateful for the pro-bono support
from Cascade Relays and FootZone to pull off this event. Without their expertise, resources and
equipment, we wouldn’t be able to produce a high quality event that raises significant funds for
us and NeighborImpact.”