BAY MINETTE, Alabama —  The Bay Minette Rotary Club and Heritage Junior Women’s Club will again join forces to put on fundraisers for the North Baldwin Coalition for Excellence in Education. The events will be held Feb. 27 at the Community Kids Park in Bay Minette.

The Rotary Club’s eighth annual “Chilly Run” will begin at 9 a.m. for the 5K run/race walk and 10 a.m. for the 1-mile fun run. The chili cook-off sponsored by HJWC begins at 10 a.m.

Both clubs again chose the coalition as beneficiary and proceeds will help fund teacher grants for the nine schools in the Baldwin County High School feeder pattern. Last year, NBCEE awarded more than $10,000 in grants using funds from these two events. Since its inception in 2008, NBCEE has presented more than $70,000 to teachers in north Baldwin schools.

NBCEE President Liana Barnett said the foundation is honored and excited to be once again be the beneficiary of these two great events. “We are so thankful for this collaborative effort in our community,” she said. “Because of these community relationships and specifically these two events, we have been able to assist many educators in providing a multitude of innovative and creative educational programs which may not have been possible otherwise.”

The main purpose of the education foundation is to support the schools in north Baldwin County. “We recognize our educators are the foundation for our future through the preparation of our students for success. We appreciate them immensely and are thrilled to be able to offer them this opportunity again this year,” Barnett said. “Thank you to the Heritage Junior Women's Club and the Bay Minette Rotary Club for sharing our passion for education.”

Ashley Jones Davis is serving as chairwoman of the HJWC Chili Cook-off. This marks the third year that Davis has chaired the event. “It never ceases to amaze me the amount of community support shown at this event, I have watched it grow every year, and rain or shine it’s a packed house,” Davis said. “It has been wonderful working with Karmen (Still) and the Rotary Club. We get to come together to support such a wonderful cause - raising money for NBCEE to award teacher grants right here in our community for projects that might otherwise go unfunded.”

The HJWC Chili Cook-off will feature several prizes including best overall chili, best non-chili chili, hottest chili, crowd favorite and other categories. Teams can be formed in clubs, organizations, businesses or among friends. Booths are $25 and entrants must provide at least seven gallons of chili.

Admission tickets are $5 to sample chili. To register a team, or other information, call Ashley Jones at 251-937-5665. The day’s activities will also include performances by area school groups.

Rotary Club member Karmen Still said the organization has a long tradition of supporting schools in the community. “Rotary feels very strongly about supporting our local schools and educators and working with NBCEE is an extension of that support,” Still said. “This funding can have an immediate impact on a classroom by providing necessary tools to assist in the learning process. The teacher grant program is an outstanding resource for our schools and we are proud to be a part of that effort.”

Registration for the Chilly Run is $15 for students and $20 for adults until Feb. 20. After that date, the price is $20 and $25 respectively. Pre-registered runners are guaranteed a T-shirt and all others will be given out on first-come, first-served basis. Participants will also receive one ticket to the chili cook-off. Fruits, snacks and beverages will also be provided.

Race packets will be available for pick-up Feb. 26 at the North Baldwin Fitness Center or at the park on race day. Prizes will be awarded to first-, second- and third-place male and female for overall, race walk and by age groups. The top three male and female fun run winners will also receive awards. The Rotary Club will also present a $200 prize to the school with the most pre-registered participants and $100 for second place. 

Registration is available online at active.com or forms are available at the North Baldwin Fitness Center, Bay Minette City Hall, from Rotary Club members or by emailing Karmen Still at Karmen@sfmco.com. For more details, call Still at 251-421-3073.

Sponsorships are available for the day’s events including Hot Pepper/Sprinter Sponsor, $500; Walker/Mild Pepper Sponsor, $250 and Heartburn/Muscle Cramp Sponsor, $100. For more information about sponsorships, contact Still or Davis.

The Teacher Grant program was started by the Heritage Junior Women’s Club and was eventually turned over to the education foundation after it formed in 2008. The women’s organization has continued to support the grant program through the years.

“As an organization, the HJWC supports education and our teachers here in North Baldwin. We know the importance of a solid foundation through education in our students’ lives. These grants help our teachers go above and beyond and by supporting our local teachers we are helping to enrich the learning experience in the classroom.”

NBCEE will award its teacher grants in the spring, following an application process. The grants are awarded in $500 increments and applications are open to any teacher serving in one of the nine schools in the north Baldwin feeder pattern. Last year, more than 20 educators were awarded grants through NBCEE using funds generated from the Chilly Run and Chili Cook-Off.

For more information about the North Baldwin Coalition for Excellence in Education, visit its website at nbcee.org.