Valentine 5K raises $3,600 for Black Mountain Home for Children

Town’s recreation department presents check from February race

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
March 30, 2022

More than 200 runners participated in the Valentine 5K, Feb. 12, at Lake Tomahawk. The event raised more than $3,600 for Black Mountain Home for Children. Photo by Fred McCormick

The final Valentine 5K runner crossed the finish line at Lake Tomahawk weeks ago, but a March 22 gift ensured that Black Mountain Home for Children was still feeling the love.

Staff from the Town of Black Mountain Recreation and Parks Department, which hosts the annual race, presented a check for $3,600 to the nonprofit organization.

Staff from the Black Mountain Recreation and Parks Department, which hosts the annual Valentine 5K and Kids Fun Run, present a check to the Black Mountain Home for Children on March 22. Photo courtesy of BMRP

More than 200 runners participated in the Feb. 12 event, which quadrupled the amount it raised in 2021. Half of all registration fees and extra donations from participants were collected to benefit BMH, which has served children and families in Western North Carolina for 118 years.

The faith-based residential program, which has operated in the Swannanoa Valley since moving to its current location in 1922, serves children whose homes have been deemed unsafe or unhealthy by the Department of Social Services. In addition to its residential services, BMH’s programs include foster care, transitional living, independent living and recreation.