The 12th Annual RGI River Run kicked off the summer running season at full speed, setting new records for the third consecutive year in terms of the number of participants and funds raised. We not only reached our goal of 1,000 participants - we surpassed it! On a beautiful morning, a total of 1,244 runners and walkers supported the RGI River Run Saturday, May 24th, firmly placing it among the top ten races in all of Greater Cincinnati. The event helped net more than $40,000, which will now be directed towards a number of youth enrichment programs.

Newport on the Levee was buzzing with excitement on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, as families, top runners and "weekend athletes" came out in force to participate. The scenic Purple People Bridge once again provided the perfect backdrop, especially for all of the post-race events. Each participant received a valuable goodie bag, and was also entered in the highly anticipated door prize drawing. Cincinnati's The RumRunners provided universal entertainment and captivated their audience throughout the event with their music.

While the majority of races have a shotgun start, the RGI River Run "kicked" things off with a football and tee! This year, the Bengals' all-time leading scorer, Jim Breech, kicked-off the Special K, which is a run held early for children with disabilities. The children were beaming from ear to ear, as the crowd cheered them along Fourth Street. Kicks For Kids Founder, Doug Pelfrey then kicked off the 5K Run/Walk, which went through Newport, Covington and Cincinnati. All children completing the 5K received medals, and exciting prizes and trophies were given out to both the top children and adults following the event. Everyone was then invited to attend the post-race party at Arnie's on the Levee for free food and drink.

Kicks For Kids offers a special thanks to our sponsors, who helped make this event the most successful to date! We would also like to thank the incredible race committee, as well as dozens of volunteers, who made the event run smoothly. Without the help of so many wonderful Tri-state friends, we could not help so many local children in need.