In our inaugural year, a single crew of four pushed through a full 24-hour row, generating more than $20,000 to benefit Brightpaths Athens in their mission to eliminate child abuse and neglect throughout seven local counties. For this upcoming edition, our goal is expanding the floor to include additional participating teams and involve more individuals and businesses in our community. Bringing more teams together elevates the energy of the event while multiplying the overall financial impact for a vital organization. The local fitness network is uniquely suited to rally behind an effort like this, boosting a group that performs crucial, high-impact work right here in the Greater Athens area.
This is a 24 hour row marathon done by a team of 4 (or more if you choose) to raise money for Brightpaths Athens and to create a fun, challenging day and night of fitness and pushing your limits. Teams raise money through meter pledges. Donors pick a dollar amount for every so many meters a team rows, and every meter on the board adds to what goes to Brightpaths.
We are currently at 8 teams plus a community rower compared to just 1 last year, so we expect a huge turnout and an incredible fundraising push towards our goal of raising over $50,000 for Brightpaths.
This requires a little more management and event costs than last year, and we're excited to pull on our local community and supporters to help.
Help us put on the event
Outside of donations to Brightpaths via rowing in the event itself, we're looking for title sponsors to help us with the costs of actually putting on the event. These costs are to cover feeding and fueling the rowers, shirts, medals, crew plaques, restroom rentals, and other resources needed to make hosting this event special for everyone involved for a massive cause. Anything you can contribute to this event's success makes sure that funds raised from rowing all go directly to Brightpaths. Any additional funds raised towards the event after expenses go directly to the Brightpaths row fund.
You can give any amount, or donate food or something you make or sell if that's easier. Food is the biggest need. Sponsors get their logo on the shirts and on the live meter board we stream on the TV the whole 24 hours, and I'll shout you out on our socials.
Covers the cost of putting on the event: food, rower fuel, shirts, medals, plaques and restrooms. This is the $7,500 goal.
Donations to Brightpaths based on how far a team rows. 100% goes straight to Brightpaths. How pledges work
Who is Brightpaths
Brightpaths Athens, formerly Prevent Child Abuse Athens, works to prevent all forms of child abuse and neglect in Athens and the surrounding area. It started in 1986 as an all-volunteer group teaching parenting classes and has grown into a nonprofit serving seven counties: Clarke, Barrow, Jackson, Madison, Oconee, Oglethorpe and Walton.
Their work centers on supporting parents before problems start. That includes their Healthy Families home visiting program, running since 1995, along with parenting classes and resources on communication and healthy discipline.
As a father, I've been overwhelmed by what they give this community. Supplies, food, counseling and a safe place for kids to play are all non-negotiables for raising a happy and healthy family, and Brightpaths makes sure families here have them.
Every business that puts something in gets named during the event, any apparel made for the event, listed the live tracker, and in everything we post before and after. Here is what we are looking for:
- Funds towards the eventAny amount toward the $7,500 it takes to put on the event.
- A food sponsor24 hours, a floor full of people, meals, snacks, electrolytes, and resupplies as needed. This is crucial for success in an event this long!
- ApparelShirts for participants, or gear for the prize table.
- Gift cards and raffle itemsAnything that goes on the table and gets drawn through the day.
- Fun games and side challengesSponsored sprints, closest-guess pots, hourly prizes. Anything that gives people a reason to throw a few more dollars in. If you have an idea, we're open to it!
- Help with nutrition, supplies and supportFood, hydration, restocking, counting and logging meters, music, or being overnight crew that keeps everybody motivated and fueled.
- Bring a prize or sponsor something pertaining to your businessGift cards, apparel, gear, a service, raffle items. Businesses get named on the prize table, on the board, and in everything we post.
- Sun 27 DecEvening
- Orientation night. Team meetings and safety/guidelines prior to event day
- Mon 28 Dec8:00am
- Every rower starts.
- Mon 28 Dec6:00 to 8:00pm
- Brightpaths happy hour with a food truck.
- Mon 28 Dec8:00pm
- 12-hour crews finish.
- Tue 29 Dec8:00am
- 24-hour crews finish.
Meter pledges to Brightpaths
Everything above is about funding the event itself. Meter pledges are a separate donation that goes straight to Brightpaths, based on how far a team rows. If you want to do both, we'd love that.
There is a general donation link for Brightpaths and flat donations are always welcome, but the meter pledges are what make this fun. A donor picks a rate, the team rows, and the number climbs as teams progress throughout the 24 hours. Every pledge is written against one team's rower. All pledges go directly to Brightpaths. We will have a tracker running and will have updates live for the whole event so you can cheer for your team from anywhere.
Projected meters
- 250,000 metersA steady team holding an easy pace the whole way through.
- 300,000 metersA well-prepared team that holds its pace through the night.
- 350,000 metersElite. Last year's crew went 339,000 with extensive fitness background and prep.
| Pledge rate | Consistent (250,000 m) | Strong (300,000 m) | Elite (350,000 m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1 per 5,000 m | $50 | $60 | $70 |
| $1 per 2,000 m | $125 | $150 | $175 |
| $1 per 1,000 m | $250 | $300 | $350 |
| $1 per 500 m | $500 | $600 | $700 |
| $1 per 250 m | $1,000 | $1,200 | $1,400 |
| $1 per 100 m | $2,500 | $3,000 | $3,500 |
| $1 per 50 m | $5,000 | $6,000 | $7,000 |
| $1 per 20 m | $12,500 | $15,000 | $17,500 |
A 12-hour team covers about half of these distances, so halve every figure. Pledges are settled against the team's final monitor reading. These distances are also based on an all-male team and may need to be adjusted for female teams as needed.
$1 per 100 meters is a great goal for a team to hit collectively across multiple pledges. It lands somewhere between $2,500 and $3,500 depending on how the team rows, which is a phenomenal turnout for a team. The rest of the chart is available here so anybody participating can find a number that works for them.