Thursday, October 1, 2026
75 ° Partly Cloudy
75 ° Partly Cloudy
From honoring the victims of 9/11 to supporting accessibility in Lower Makefield parks and raising money for breast cancer research, three upcoming races will give local residents opportunities to run, walk and give back to the community.
The races, organized by Yardley resident David Willard of Virtual Charity Events, will take place in Lower Makefield, Yardley and Newtown beginning in September.
Willard, who has lived in Yardley for 22 years, established Virtual Charity Events about 12 years ago after semi-retiring from a career in health care marketing. An avid runner, he created the company to help smaller nonprofit organizations organize fundraising events while remaining active and giving back to the community.
“I picked up running about 15 years ago. My son got me into it, and when I retired I decided this was a good way to give back and do something I really enjoyed and hopefully the community would enjoy as well,” Willard said.
The fall series begins Sunday, Sept. 20, with the Garden of Reflection 5K & 10K at the Garden of Reflection Memorial, 1950 Woodside Road in Lower Makefield.
The race marks the 25th remembrance of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and will honor the lives lost and the heroic actions of first responders. Runners and walkers of all ages and abilities are welcome.
This year’s event will include a new 10K in addition to the traditional 5K. Participants will also receive a commemorative 25th-anniversary T-shirt and a finisher’s medal.
“Since this will be the 25th remembrance of this event, we are hoping to have one or two of the families speak at this event and talk about what this event has meant to them,” Willard said.
The Garden of Reflection Memorial honors those who were killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, including 18 from Bucks County, nine of whom were from Lower Makefield. Proceeds from the race benefit the Garden of Reflection Endowment Fund, which helps pay for the maintenance and upkeep of the memorial.
“This memorial is a way to honor them, to celebrate their lives and to remember them with the whole idea being to never forget, and that’s what the Garden of Reflection is all about,” Willard said.
The race traditionally attracts about 250 participants and raises between $20,000 and $25,000. With the 25th anniversary and addition of the 10K, organizers are hoping to increase participation and raise approximately $30,000 this year.
The following month, runners, walkers and rollers of all abilities can take part in the sixth annual Lower Makefield Township 5K Any Way & Color Fun Run for Accessibility on Sunday, Oct. 11, at Macclesfield Park, 1000 River Road in Yardley.
The event supports Lower Makefield Parks and Recreation and its efforts to improve accessibility in township parks. The race is designed to welcome participants regardless of how they choose to complete the course.
“It’s a really fun event, particularly for families or even teams or school groups. We’ve had businesses come out and pay for everyone within the business as a company activity,” Willard said.
Participants will also make their way through color zones where they are splashed with color powder, adding a festive element to the event. Willard said businesses have participated by registering employees as a group, while families and school groups also have made the race a team activity.
“It’s one of the most fun events that we do,” he said.
The Color Fun Run has grown since its introduction, with about 225 participants last year. Organizers hope to attract between 250 and 300 participants this year and have set a fundraising goal of approximately $10,000. Proceeds will go toward accessibility projects in Lower Makefield Township parks.
The third event, the inaugural Meglio’s Run for the Pizza 5K, will take place Sunday, Oct. 25, starting and finishing at Council Rock High School North, 62 Swamp Road in Newtown.
The new race will benefit breast cancer research and builds on Meglio Pizzeria’s longstanding efforts to raise money for the cause.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the original owners of Meglio Pizzeria began raising money for breast cancer research after losing a loved one to the disease. The restaurant’s new owners have continued those fundraising efforts, and the 5K is an extension of that work.
“We have two options, so it can either be the pizza celebration where you just eat pizza at the end or we have a pizza challenge during the run and at the end of the run,” Willard said.
Participants choosing the Pizza Challenge will stop at a designated pizza zone during the race to eat a small slice before continuing on the course. Those who choose the Pizza Celebration can simply enjoy pizza after completing the 5K.
The course will travel under Route 532 into Tyler State Park before returning to Council Rock High School North.
Because it is the first year for the race, organizers are still determining how many participants to expect, but Willard said initial interest has been strong. The goal is to attract between 150 and 200 runners.
Two additional charity races will follow later in the year. The Veterans Day 5K, hosted by Cairn University, will take place Nov. 14 at Tyler State Park in Richboro and will support scholarships for veterans and their family members. The Candy Cane 5K will take place Dec. 5 at Cairn University in Langhorne, with proceeds supporting scholarships for single mothers.
While each race has a different purpose, Willard said participants do not have to be competitive runners to take part. The events welcome runners and walkers of varying abilities, with some participants focused on completing a personal best and others simply looking to support a cause.
“For each of these events, we are always looking for runners to participate. There’s a distance for everybody,” Willard said. “Some people come out and are really competitive and want to get a personal best on the 5K or 10K, but we also offer a one mile for all of these, and some people walk a 5K and don’t worry about the time it takes to finish, and that’s fine too."
The races also depend on local businesses and community members to serve as sponsors and volunteers. Willard said each event typically requires 20 to 30 volunteers.
“It always takes a good team to put on a good event, and we typically need 20 to 30 volunteers per event,” he said.
Willard noted the importance of sponsors.
“We are always looking for sponsors because it really is the sponsors who make the difference on how successful these events are financially and ultimately, how much money is donated to each organization,” he said.
All of the races also offer a virtual participation option for those who cannot attend in person. Participants can complete the distance by walking or running on a trail, treadmill or other location during the weekend of the in-person event.
"Regardless of how fast or slow you walk or run or whether or not you even participate in the race, come out, have a good time and support the cause," Willards said.
For more information and to register for the races, visit virtualcharityevents.com.
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