Run the OC Runway 5K Run and Walk
Sponsored by the Orange Library Association.


The Orange Library Association (OLA) concluded its OrangeREADS Unbroken countywide read project with the presentation of a check for $3,904 to the Orange County Veterans Coalition’s Memorial Pavilion fund.



The check represents proceeds from the Run the Runway 5K Run and Walk held on October 26 at the Orange County Airport in Montgomery. A total of 175 runners and walkers participated in the first-time event held in honor of Louis Zamperini, the subject of Laura Hillenbrand’s best-selling nonfiction work Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption. Zamperini was a runner on the 1936 Olympics team.

The OrangeREADS project was hosted by all 17 Orange County public libraries, and dozens of programs, including book discussions, art exhibits, lectures, concerts, dances, food drives and more were held.

In addition to the 5K walk and race, OLA held a “Salute to Veterans” on November 9 at the Galleria at Crystal Run in Middletown. Six large cartons of nonperishable food items and $90 in donations were collected for the Orange County Veterans Food Pantry, and six large cartons of personal care items were collected for patients at the Castle Point VA Hospital.

A Canteen and Dance on November 22 at the Montgomery Senior Center raised $150 more for the memorial pavilion fund. Music was provided by the Eric Winter Group and refreshments were donated by ShopRite in Montgomery and Hannaford in Walden.

Cards and letters for our troops were collected and sent to Operation Gratitude, and cards and letters for the holidays are also being sent to our veterans at Castle Point.

For more information about the OrangeREADS project, please contact Lisa Hewel at 778-7621, Ext. 1512 or lisahewel@rcls.org.