The Aldergrove Adventist Church is known for giving back to the community, most notably through its annual Acts Of Kindness (AOK) Extreme Home Repair project.
Sunday morning, the community, including church members, slipped on their running shoes and gave back to the church.
On Nov. 1, the inaugural AOK 5K Fun Run started and finished at the Church in the Valley, 23589 Old Yale Rd.
A few of the more than 55 runners taking part dressed up in costume for the run, with a prize handed out for the runner with the craziest getup.
The Fun Run fee was by donation, with proceeds going to AOK programs and initiatives.
“This is… to keep Acts Of Kindness going,” church pastor Mike Dauncey noted, as he waited for the first runner to return to the finish line.
“We do a big golf tournament fundraiser every September and we raise money for actually helping people in the community, but 100 per cent of that goes back to the community,” Dauncey added, referring to the AOK Charity Golf Classic.
But in order to operate the non-profit, the church needs to fundraise separately.
“This [run] is still very important; this is what keeps the program going,” Dauncey explained.
“Events like this benefit the church. We have to fundraise through other events for Acts of Kindness. So it all works together for the same common good, for the community.”
Considering the spotty rain and that this was the first time the run has taken place, “it was a pretty good turnout,” Dauncey said.
Meanwhile, the AOK team continues to help people in the community, and recently donated a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan to a family that had just moved to Aldergrove from Saskatchewan.
“They really needed help,” Dauncey said. “We found out that their van got repossessed so we had a van waiting for someone in need. They were moved to tears. It was a wonderful experience.”
As well, a woman who has a cleaning business and was having to take the bus to work now has a car to load her gear into, thanks to the AOK team.
“Her husband’s got a car but they can’t make it on one income, so she was always on the bus…and she’s carrying all this stuff on the bus, so she really needed a car,” Dauncey explained.
She was gifted with a Toyota RAV4 Saturday afternoon.
Extreme kindness
The AOK volunteers are best known for the work they does in the spring, leading up to Victoria.
Established in 2004, the AOK Extreme Home Repair project annually transforms the home of a local individual or family facing difficult circumstances related to their housing and resources.
Each year, the project brings together more than 200 volunteers, dozens of community-minded businesses, friends, family, and neighbours, to “give the selected recipients a fresh start in a safe and comfortable environment,” according to AOK.
This year, two different families in Aldergrove had their homes renovated, with both reveals happening on Victoria Day.