A Big Donation Just Came Running In

The seventh-annual Chick-fil-A Vidalia Road Race has become a wildly popular local event. Every March, the community comes together to compete, run and celebrate fitness to raise funds for local charitable organizations. This year, along with Paul Anderson Youth Home, the other beneficiaries are Vidalia Heritage Academy and WinShape Camps. We are thrilled to announce that each organization received a check for $15,630, generously donated by Chick-fil-A Vidalia.

Healthy living is something our founder Paul Anderson was very enthusiastic about. He often cited physical fitness as one component of honoring God. Paul gained the fame needed to start and fund the Paul Anderson Youth Home through his performance at the 1955 World Championships in Munich, Germany, and by winning a gold medal at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. He augmented these endeavors by performing more amazing feats of strength all around the world in exhibitions and as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United States.

There is another reason the road race is so relevant to the history of Paul Anderson Youth Home. Upon its founding in 1961, Anderson hopped on a bicycle and rode from Vidalia for 1,200 miles to Omaha, Neb. He did this to raise funds and awareness of the mission to give troubled young men a second chance through Christ. Therefore, it is only fitting a fitness event like this is closely tied to what we do here at Paul Anderson Youth Home.

“When the day of the Chick-fil-A Road Race comes around, I can’t help but think of Paul on that long bike ride to Omaha more than 60 years ago,” said Glenda Anderson. “Paul would have loved this event and the generosity everyone shows by participating. It’s a special time for us every year.”

The events taking place in 2022 are extra special as Paul Anderson Youth Home celebrates its 60th Anniversary of offering an alternative to incarceration for young men in crisis. Another annual fitness-related event, the Paul Anderson Youth Home Bike Ride, which commemorates Paul’s ride to Omaha, will be held this July.