By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
The inaugural “Montgomery Triple Challenge” – a child-size triathlon, initiated by a group of mothers – has raised $1,300 for the Montgomery Emergency Medical Services.
The event, which was held at Skillman Park earlier this month, drew 99 participants. The children, ages 5-13, took part in a run, a bicycle ride and then finished up by working their way through an obstacle course.
Moms In Business, which sponsored the Montgomery Triple Challenge, was happy with the event – both the turnout and the amount of money that the event raised for MEMS.
“The kids definitely had a blast. I couldn’t stop looking at the joy on the parents’ and grandparents’ faces,” said Kapu Patel, who owns Kapu Patel Photography and belongs to Moms In Business.
Moms In Business is made up of mothers/entrepreneurs and whose members include professionals, small business owners and direct sellers of products that serve mothers and children.
Meanwhile, the Montgomery Triple Challenge had its genesis in a presentation to the Rotary Club of Montgomery and Rocky Hill earlier this year by Moms In Business founder Maureen Daniels.
Daniels and Moms In Business were later approached by George Jarvis, the Rotary Club president, to host a children’s triathlon to benefit MEMS.
MEMS was chosen because everyone has been touched by its volunteer emergency medical technicians in some way, said Marea Adejuwon, executive treasurer for Moms In Business.
MEMS, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary, raises about 80 percent of its budget through fundraising efforts. Prior to the Montgomery Triple Challenge, there was no annual community event to benefit MEMS beyond its annual fund drive, Adejuwon said.
While the opportunity to host the event for MEMS may have been presented to Moms in Business, “we were grateful and honored to have been considered, because we felt it was a perfect match for our two groups,” she said.
“Through the help and support of everyone involved, we looked forward to our first inaugural event as the start of a beautiful community and family tradition,” Adejuwon said.
