The first Saturday in May kicks off one of two local events to raise money and awareness for organ donations and transplants.
The Run for the Roses Gala begins at 6 p.m. on Sat., May 4, at The Warehouse venue located at the end of DeVaughan Road in Agricola. Two weeks later, on May 18, the 5D Barrell Racing event starts at 9 a.m. at the George County Multi-Purpose Arena on Mississippi 63 south of Lucedale.
Tickets for the gala are $150 per couple. Registration for the barrel racing varies depending on type and age category. See the website at runfortheroseslucedale.com for more details and contact information. The events’ proceeds will go to Team Mississippi Transplant, an organization of individuals from across the state who have received life-saving transplants, living donors and family members, and transplant professionals and advocates. Created in 1998, Team Mississippi Transplant supports those who participate in the Donate Life Transplant Games. Those games occur every other year. The next one is set July 5-10 in Birmingham, Ala.
Other missions of Team Mississippi are to educate the public on the benefits of transplantations and the need for organ donor registrations. Team Mississippi also encourages members to achieve a healthy lifestyle by staying active and competing in the Transplant Games.
George County’s first Run for the Roses Gala and 5D Barrel Racing took place last year. David Miller chairs both events. Miller received a both bone marrow transplant in 1985 and a liver transplant in 1998. Miller also chairs an annual car show at Lucedale’s Second Saturday for the same organization.
Various businesses help sponsor the gala and event coordinators hope it provide locals a fun evening for a good cause. The gala, emceed by Darwin Nelson, will include a silent auction, live auction, live music, dancing and a derby hat contest. Attendees are encouraged to don hats for the occasion. The high-stakes races are known for both women and men attendees wearing unique spring hats as well as lavish and flamboyant dresses and suits.
The 150th Annual Kentucky Derby will be broadcast live during the evening as three-year-old Thoroughbred horses run for the prestigious crown. The Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville is one-and-a-quarter-mile long. Another sought-after title will be run two weeks later on May 18 at Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Md. followed by the June 8 race at Belmont Stakes in Elmont, NY. A horse who wins all three is considered a Triple Crown winner. Thirteen horses have won the Triple Crown with the first being in 1919 by Sir Barton and the most recent being in 2018 by Justify. According to CBS Sports, a few of the top pick horses to watch in the 2024 races are Fierceness, Sierra Leone and Catching Freedom.
The second phase of the fund-raiser, the barrel racing event, promises fun for the whole family.
Both events will reveal winners whether it be horses, riders, betters or side-line viewers. Another winner will be Team Mississippi Transplant.
