Over 2,000 runners and walkers will line up on Beale Street on Saturday, June 11, to raise funds for the St. Patrick Community Outreach at the Gibson Guitar 5k. The Gibson Foundation, the charitable arm of Gibson Brands, is sponsoring the event, bringing funds to the Memphis community. The post-race celebration takes place at the Gibson Guitar Factory with live music, delicious food and a charity auction featuring bids on factory fresh Gibson Guitars. Winners of the 5k will receive actual Gibson Guitar headstocks refashioned as trophies.
“Memphis is a very important part of the legacy of Gibson Brands and we have felt so welcomed by the Memphis community from the very beginning,” said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman/CEO of Gibson Brands. “The Gibson Guitar 5K is an event we look forward to every year and we are thankful to all the 5K runners and walkers that will be coming out to support St. Patrick Community Outreach this year.”
"We've had a blast for 20 years while helping feed and educate people through funds raised by the Gibson 5K,” stated Joe Birch, News Anchor, WMC-TV 5 Memphis. “Our gratitude runs deep for all our friends at Gibson who have allowed us to dance on the Gibson factory rooftop, enjoy great music at our post race party and provide meaningful help for our neighbors at the end of the day."
The event funds St. Patrick Community Outreach, Inc., a 501c nonprofit located two blocks southeast of Gibson Memphis. The agency operates the city’s largest emergency food pantry in Memphis’ zip code 38126. It runs the Green Machine Mobile Food Market, a Memphis city bus renovated to serve as a rolling farmer’s market. The Green machine visits Memphis neighborhoods that lack full-service supermarkets and sell fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods at cost. In addition, they feed the hungry at their community outreach headquarters every Sunday. In past years, the Gibson 5k has funded an after school tutoring program, a computer lab, sports teams, music lessons as well as field trips for children from the area.
Runners will line up from B.B. King’s Blues Club at Beale and will run alongside the mighty Mississippi before finishing their trek at the Gibson Memphis Factory. The 20th annual race is presented by the Gibson Foundation; Main Street Dental/Jodi Rump DDS; FedEx; Sharp, Robbins & Popwell, LLC; Landers Ford and Southland Park.
For more information, visit gibsonguitar5k.com.
