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WEB EXCLUSIVE On your mark, get set, run to raise money for ALS research at this year’s 8th annual Sola Hot Mini 5K.
Lace up your sneakers and get ready to run for a great cause! Sola Coffee Café is hosting its 8th annual Sola Hot Mini 5K on Saturday, Sept. 18. This year, runners and walkers are invited to participate either in-person or virtually, with all proceeds directed through the Team Drea Foundation to Duke ALS Clinic, Team Chris Combs/Project ALS, The ALS Association North Carolina Chapter and the ALS Therapy Development Institute to help further research efforts to end amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease—a progressive degenerative disease that destroys neurons that control voluntary and involuntary muscles.
In 2018, Jeanne Luther, co-owner of Sola Coffee Café, was diagnosed with ALS and has been “fighting for joy in the midst of ALS” since. In 2020, more than 900 participants of the Sola Hot Mini 5K raised over $94,000 for ALS research, and this year’s fundraising goal is $125,000! The race begins at Sola Coffee Café at 8:30am and winds through the surrounding neighborhoods, finishing back at the coffee shop—where you can, and should, order some of Sola’s signature hot minis to celebrate a run well done.
Andrea Lytle Peet, president and founder of the Team Dream Foundation, says, “When I was diagnosed with ALS seven years ago, I pledged to spend the rest of my life raising money for research to put an end to the cruelty of this disease. Before you die, ALS steals your voice, your breath, your ability to move, and you are powerless to stop it. I have been lucky to have slow progression, but I hate watching my friends go through it. John and Jeanne are some of the kindest, most genuine people you will ever meet. They built Sola to be more than a coffee shop, and it is beautiful and heartwarming to witness how the Sola community has come together to support them. They have turned their struggle into something positive that will help others. I am honored to be a part of it.”
ALS isn’t an incurable disease, it is an underfunded one, and events like the Sola Hot Mini 5K are vital to aiding research. For those who are unable to participate in this year’s race, there are also plenty of ops to volunteer, fundraise or donate what you can. For more info and to register click here.
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