Several WATR members did a little ADV ride out to the Shenandoah Valley and delivered WATR shirts to the “lunch ladies” that coordinate the meals for the S500 participants. One club member braved the fog and rain to help out and ended up with a 400+ mile day on his GS.
Washington Area Trail Riders (WATR) is sorry that we had to cancel the Shenandoah 500 (S500) this year. We intend to hold the event in 2021, if conditions allow. We really hope there is a COVID-19 vaccination that will allow the 2021 event to happen.
All of us have been affected by COVID-19, some of us much more than others. Certainly COVID-19 has not improved things for the Shenandoah community and we need to do what we can to continue our financial assistance to the organizations that benefit from the S500. The organizations that we have routinely donated to are:
If you are in a position to make a donation, we will distribute all donations (minus credit card fees) to the organizations listed above. WATR will be doing a dollar for dollar matching donation up to $2,500. This is a community that supports the S500 and we are happy to support them. It is truly heart-warming to read the thank you cards we receive each year from the individuals who rely on the local food pantries.
We would like to recognize those who donate at least $25 by upgrading their event t-shirt at the next running (hopefully 2021) of the S500. The upgraded shirt would be long-sleeved instead of short with a special graphic.
That said, any donation will be appreciated. Please use the following PayPal link to donate. You DO NOT need to create a PayPal account to donate. If you do want the upgraded S500 event shirt please include your name and email address in the comments box when you donate. This will be the only way we can track who gets the upgraded event shirts.
https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=SBW99PNQHGXYU
Donations will be accepted through October 5th.
If you’d like to stay informed about the S500 please join this Google Group. You can actually read all the messages without joining the group.
https://groups.google.com/g/shenandoah-500
Thanks for your support of the S500 and the Shenandoah community!
