SMS Rents joins Mud Run to support Muskoka Community Living

Oct. 12, 2012 – Business, community services, educators and families are coming together on freshly groomed trails near Bracebridge, Ont., as Community Living South Muskoka hosts its second annual Muskoka Mud Run, October 19 and 20.

As the Mud Run ramped up for this October, past CLSM board chair Dave Morrison approached his rental supplier, SMS Rents, about discounting rates on equipment to groom the trails. At the local store, Ted Brewer countered with an offer to provide the needed equipment free of charge. 

“This is a great community project,” says Brewer, “and it’s one our staff is happy to support.” SMS Rents employees have already volunteered to operate the equipment on their own time to prepare for the event.

Morrison is a semi-retired contractor in the area who has been volunteering for Community Living in Muskoka and in Mississauga for more than 30 years. Since 2008, Morrison championed CLSM’s development of the farm land where the Mud Run is staged. The farm was recently renamed Morrison Meadows in his honour.

The 35-acre farm is home to several work and recreation programs for mentally challenged children and adults. Activities such as the Mud Run also support inclusive activities promoting interaction between CLSM clients and the public. As well as growing and selling vegetables, CLSM clients are onsite grooming trails, delivering water to runners and serving them food in the barn. This interaction is what CLSM values most.

“We’re glad to have them helping,” Morrison says of SMS Rents. “If people are willing to put time into the facility – that can spread. Their interest will attract more interest, and more interaction.”

Marcel Langlois, president of SMS Rents, applauded his Bracebridge staff for taking part in the Mud Run. “We were founded on a close connection to our local communities. Helping them grow stronger is vital to our own future as a business and as long term members of this community.”

The Mud Run was inaugurated last year for district elementary schools to compete in cross-country events. With coordination by the Trillium Lakelands District School Board, more than 20 schools and 500 runners participated in the first Mud Run.

The Mud Run is especially valuable for attracting younger children to the farm, where they can form personal connections with their intellectually challenged neighbours. Morrison Meadows grows relationships with Muskoka business, too, including Morrison’s own contracting firm, Beneath The Sun Inc. The company’s construction work often leads to valued materials and manpower for Morrison Meadows. Additional partnerships reach out to area businesses ranging from a sand& gravel supply to the local Staples store.

With more schools registering this year, organizers expect to see as many as 5,000 visitors to the student Mud Run on Friday, and perhaps as many again for the new Mud Run for adult runners on the Saturday.

Related link

www.SMSRents.com
www.clsm.on.ca