20th November, 2008: Being honored by the Boy Scouts was an honor!
I had the best luncheon last week…I was honored with the Boy Scout of the Year award. Yes that is right, I won the “Good Scout” award for 2008 for our area (along with two other distinguished individuals in which I was proud to be a part of). The Good Scout award is presented to those who are good role models for the community (it must have been the Bigelow Tea Community Challenge that caught their eye…I must not be the only one who is proud of how much we raised for local charities!).
At 48 ½ I am now part of the Boy Scouts….I like that! But in all seriousness, what a great organization! They do such fine work in our community. To be chosen for this award was really special for me. I have to say, of all of the awards I have been fortunate to receive in my lifetime, this one means a little something extra!
Cindi Bigelow
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2nd October, 2008: A Spectacular Day with Bigelow Tea
What a spectacular day. The 21st annual Bigelow Tea Community Challenge was everything we could have hoped for! Almost 1000 participated in this event, and the weather really cooperated (the rain held off beautifully). We had almost 150 kids running in the Kid’s fun run, almost 200 joined the 2 mile walk and over 550 runners participated in our 5K…and with them they brought family members, strollers, dogs, smiles, and laughs…the perfect day!
In addition to putting on a great event, we raised the most money ever for our local charities, almost $85,000. A team of 15 plan this event over 9 months, and to see it come off as well as it did, all I can say is that is what it is all about. No question, one of my favorite things about running this family company is having the opportunity to give back to others and the Bigelow Tea Community Challenge is exactly that…giving back to others.
Cindi Bigelow
Tom Harding, 5K Winner
Photos courtesy of Jack McCoy Photography
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26th September, 2008: 21st Annual Bigelow Tea Community Challenge
The big day is coming up!! Yes our 21st Bigelow Tea Community Challenge is this Sunday (rain or shine), September 28th. We hold this wonderful family event at Wakeman’s boys and girls club in Southport CT. We hope to have over 1000 participants to either be in the kid’s fun run, the 2 mile fitness walk or the 5K road race. It is such a special event bringing together so many people in our community to raise money for local organization’s in need. This year we have already raised $85,000 – WOW! That just goes to show how generous and kind people truly are, even during these more challenging times.
I am so proud of the people in this company that make this event happen, the volunteers that come the day of and all those in our community that participate-together it creates a positive spirit beyond words!
This race has truly become a treasured event in our company….I will happily let you know the results when it is over. Yes rain or shine, everyone on that day is a winner in my book!
Cindi Bigelow
Posted by Cindi at 9:33 am | Comment (0)
29th October, 2007: Bigelow Tea Raises $60,000 for Men, Women and Children in Need!
Bigelow Tea is proud to announce that it has just hosted its 20th Annual Community Challenge fundraiser with the help of a host of enthusiastic volunteers, sponsors and participants. The event raised a record $60,000, the entirety of which will be distributed to thirteen local area charities. More than 1,000 strong took the “challenge” and participated in Kids’ Fun Run, 2-mile walk and 5K race.
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4th October, 2007: 20th Annual Bigelow Tea Community Challenge
Well the 20th annual Bigelow Tea Community Challenge just finished up this past Sunday and WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY! Our largest turnout by far! Over 1000 people were in the three events (Kid’s Fun Run, 2 mile walk and a 5K)-not to mention the 200 plus that came with our participants. The weather was picture perfect-breezy 75 degrees. The day was everything I could have hoped for! I think one of the best parts was just sitting back during the affair and seeing the families roaming around, smiling and just enjoying their experience. By far my most favorite aspect of the Community Challenge was seeing the team that planned this event (that I have worked with during the year) get “their moment in the sun.” This group of people just shined! The race committee had absolute and complete ownership of this event. They spent hours and hours, months and months preparing….then the day came. They were like hardcore soldiers running the different areas- preregistration, registration day of the race, walkers area, kids sign up, food, water stations, etc. etc….and they ran these areas with great aplomb. Yes, that was my favorite part of the race, seeing these marvelous people make this event as truly special as it was and always will be….I can proudly say it is one of the best run community events in Fairfield County, raising over $55,000 for local charities. And it is such a huge success because of the sole dedication of the Bigelow Race Committee….ah yes, it was a beautiful day!
Cindi Bigelow, President
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27th September, 2007: It’s Connecticut’s World Cup…or rather…The Tea Cup…Bigelow Tea Community Challenge
Super Bowl = Football
World Series = Baseball
World Cup = Soccer and Rugby
Tea Cup = Bigelow Tea Community Challenge
The Bigelow Tea Community Challenge is a running event sponsored each year by the makers of Constant Comment® and other fine teas.
Join us this weekend, Sunday, September 30th for a 5k Road Race plus a 2 mile Fitness walk plus a Kids’ Fund Run.
With the help of 40 financial and dozens more “in kind” sponsors, last year’s event raised $50K. The funds were distributed to thirteen Bridgeport and Fairfield based charitable organizations whose programs feed, clothe and shelter people of need in our community.
Let’s mark the 20th year of this event by record breaking participation!!!
Registration opens at 8 a.m. at Wakeman Boy’s and Girl’s Club, 385 Center street, Southport, CT.
See you at the finish line for fun and more…
Posted by Julie at 12:01 pm | Comment (1)
24th August, 2007: Bigelow Tea Community Challenge
The Bigelow Tea Community Challenge is coming up-it will be our 20th year of hosting this fabulous event. We have already raised more money than ever before, almost 50K!!!! It promises to be our most successful….some fun things for this year’s race…Cannondale donated a great bike for us to raffle off, Warren Travel of Westport came back and gave us two round trip tickets on American to fly anywhere in US to also be raffled and Mercedes Benz is giving us a car to loan out for a week! Should be a super fun family day….we expect over 1200 participants.
September 30, 2007 starting at 9 am at Wakeman’s Boys and Girls Club in Southport, CT, we will have a kid’s fun run, a 2 mile non competitive walk and a 5k run! And what is even more special is the fact that besides being a great event for the community with tons of goodies, all the money goes to such wonderful charities. I visited one of them yesterday, the Grasmere Home for the elderly. It is a place that you can bring your elder parent (or relative) from Monday to Friday and they enjoy great activities and get involved in various projects. The center is for those that need help and a little more attention than those that can go to our local senior center (another wonderful place the race supports!). While I was there, they were working on the photographs they had taken while doing a photography outing to the shore in our town. It was so heart warming to see how the seniors were enjoying the fruits of their labor. As usual, it brought tears to my eyes to see them in that environment. So I am truly looking forward to our upcoming Challenge, I promise to share with you all kinds of pictures and some fun stories about the day!!!
Cindi Bigelow
Posted by Cindi at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
