Park Place Outreach – Youth Emergency Shelter, which provides support and temporary residential services for at-risk children and teens in Savannah and the surrounding area, was selected as the 2017 community partner of Sustainitivity, a local non-profit agency that promotes energy efficient practices.

Sustainitivity will host its first fundraising event for Park Place Outreach, a 150-meter ‘Mattress Dash,’ on Sunday, Oct. 15, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Forsyth Park. Entry fee is $150. Normally, the event draws 10 to 12 teams with proceeds netting about $5,000, according to Tommy Linstroth, chairman of Sustainativity.

Judges’ and people’s choice awards will be recognized along with additional awards and prizes given to costumed participants for fastest team and greenest racing frame. After the race, participants can celebrate and showcase their creative designs at an after party with beer available for purchase from Moon River Brewing.

“We want to show that sustainability can be fun by inspiring people to use their creativity for improving our environment,” Linstroth said.

Sustainativity chose to partner with Park Place, he said, because it fit their ideal community partner profile – an established organization with their own facility that serves a critical need in the community with an identifiable sustainability project it could implement.

“I’ve been familiar with their work for a decade and appreciate the green building leadership role they took with their LEED-certified facility years back,” said Linstroth.

Proceeds from the Mattress Dash will go to Park Place Outreach and will be used to provide new energy-efficient appliances and solar panels.

“I have had my eye on those old appliances since I started here," said Julie Wade, executive director of Park Place Outreach. “The upgrades will reduce utility bills for the facility and yield energy and environmental savings for years to come.”

The mission of Sustainativity is to improve the vibrancy of the community through direct philanthropic investments. All money raised goes to implementing sustainability projects for nonprofit organizations, such as Park Place Outreach, to help them succeed in their mission while minimizing their environmental impact. Sustainativity expects to donate about $10,000 to Park Place during the course of the partnership.