The name is new, but the mission is very much the same. Formerly known as VeloCity Atlanta, Move For Grady is Grady Health System’s annual charity event that allows participants to walk, run or cycle in the name of helping ensure equitable access to health care in Atlanta.
Hosted at Chattahoochee Hills’ Bouckaert Farm on Saturday, May 6, Move For Grady will feature scenic cycling routes, and walking and running courses with water stops, as well as breakfast, outdoor activities for children to enjoy and a finish line celebration with lunch, drinks and live music.
“In a community where there are so many organizations to support, why choose Grady?” Move For Grady’s website asks. ”Because there is no organization that does more to ensure that anyone who calls Atlanta home can get the care they need, for any reason, at any stage of life. Because our community cannot be the best it can be if its people aren’t healthy. Simply put, Atlanta can’t live without Grady, and Grady can’t thrive without you.”
The funds raised through Move For Grady support a number of different programs across Grady Health System, including improving the outcomes for patients impacted by food insecurity, lack of housing or lack of income. The charity also expands the health system’s access to critical preventative care, supports Atlanta’s only level one trauma center and provide a “reliable continuum of care for all who call Atlanta home, regardless of ability to pay.”
“In the years since its inception, Move For Grady has not only raised funds to support Grady, it has allowed the health system to connect with thousands of members of our community, providing an important opportunity to share information about the vital role the health system plays,” Joselyn Baker, president at Grady Health Foundation, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Funds raised support programs and services that address social determinants of heath such as food insecurity, expand access to cancer screenings and other preventative care, and help to ensure the overall stability of what is now Atlanta’s only Leve 1 trauma center and safety net hospital.”
While this will be the sixth annual charity event, it will be the first time using the fundraiser’s new name, Move For Grady.
“The signature cycling, running and walking event first began in 2018 as a cycling-only event held in Downtown Atlanta,” according to a press release from the Grady Foundation. “Since that time, the event has moved to Chattahoochee Hills and offers both cycling and run/walk options. Also during that time, our city watched Grady play a lead role during the response a global pandemic and now become the only Level 1 trauma center and safety net hospital in Atlanta. The new name Move For Grady is a call to action to everyone in our community to support this critical asset....Grady moves every day for us all.”
Those interested in participating at Move For Grady this year can register at moveforgrady.com between now and May 5. Participants can choose to run, ride or walk at the event. The Grady Foundation is bringing back a number of old tracks, while also introducing some new ones.
There will be five cycling routes, which range from 10 miles to a massive 100-mile trek. The running and walking routes come in 5k and 10k options.
“When you raise money for Grady, you aren’t only supporting our patients, you are helping to make our entire community stronger and healthier,” the event’s website said. “Now that Grady is Atlanta’s only Level 1 trauma center and safety-net hospital, your efforts to fundraise on our behalf are even more important. With your help, we can make sure that everyone who calls Atlanta home has equitable access to quality healthcare.”
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