Red Bull Qualifier at Kinetic Park July 31

Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County receives $50,000 donation from Ameristar St. Charles

As part of a new community partnership and in support of the mission of Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County, Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles donated $50,000 to the local nonprofit Habitat for Humanity affiliate on July 16. The donation from Ameristar St. Charles, which is owned by Boyd Gaming Corp., will be used toward the building or renovation of safe, healthy and high-efficient homes for families that need a financial “hand up” toward homeownership. In addition, each family selected for homeownership undergoes Habitat’s free financial education and skills workshops to secure an affordable mortgage and agrees to perform a minimum of 300-to-450 “sweat equity” hours in the building of its Habitat house or on other Habitat projects.

“Our Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County homeowners go through a rigorous process to secure an affordable mortgage to realize the dream of owning a healthy, safe home,” said Michelle Woods, executive director, Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County. “With the generous support from Ameristar St. Charles, we are able to further assist families in keeping with our mission to transform lives through building or improving a house that families can call home.” Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County builds safe, decent and affordable homes with hard-working families in St. Charles County. The nonprofit community-level affiliate acts in partnership with and on behalf of Habitat for Humanity, an international, non-governmental, nonprofit organization devoted to building strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter. Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County has built 90 homes for Habitat families since 1997, with more than 2,000 volunteers donating 14,000 hours each year. Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County offers a “hand up” opportunity that transforms lives, builds a strong foundation and forges lasting relationships with communities for a bright future. Applicants and co-applicants selected for a Habitat home agree to perform a minimum of 150 “sweat equity” hours each, for a total of at least 300-to-450 hours, in the building of their home or other Habitat projects. In collaboration with community partners, Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County offers free financial coaching and skills to potential homeowners through the Homebuyer Readiness Program, in which participants learn about credit, debt, budgeting, setting goals and saving money. In addition, the organization guides homeowners through an affordable mortgage repayment process. To help fund and support these efforts, Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County operates the Habitat St. Charles ReStore http://habitatstcharles.org/restore/, a retail outlet located at 186 Mid Rivers Center in St. Peters. ReStore, which opened in 2007, has diverted over 100,000 tons of waste from local landfills by selling donated new and used building materials, appliances, furniture and select home goods items back to the general public at fair prices. Funds raised allow Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County to be self-sustaining, with nearly 100 percent of every dollar donated going directly toward building simple, decent, affordable homes for deserving families in St. Charles County. In addition, Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County hosts an annual gala as its premier fundraiser in November, a trivia night each spring and an annual Women Build movement, an international effort to empower women to help families build strength, stability and independence through hands-on learning.

Photo courtesy Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County

Michelle Woods (center) executive director, Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County, is presented with a $50,000 donation from Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles. Also pictured are Ameristar St. Charles’ Ward Shaw (left), senior vice president and general manager and Doug Lang, vice president and assistant general manager.

visit us at – TWITTER.COM/MYCNEWS

Community excitement builds for Red Bull Qualifier July 31 at Kinetic Park

Whether you’re a spectator or racer competing in St. Charles County’s most exciting biking event of the year, you don’t want to miss all the action on the largest asphalt pump track in the nation. The area’s first Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifier is coming to Kinetic Park from 12 to 10 p.m., Saturday, July 31. This is the only qualifying race to be held in Missouri.

Competitive BMX and MTB riders from Missouri and beyond will race against the clock in separate runs vying for a spot in Red Bull’s World event. The top four men and women from this qualifier will advance to the World event held in Lisbon, Portugal later this year. The top male finisher and top female finisher from this event will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the World event and compete for the championship title. Sponsors of this premier event are SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital, the city of Dardenne Prairie, and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital/Safe Kids St. Louis.

Spectator tickets are available and racer registration is open.

Guests of all ages can watch the excitement unfold. A limited number of advance tickets are available for $10 each and include an official race cap and wrist band for re-entry into the park during the event. Guests can reserve tickets online through the Parks Activity Registration website https://bit.ly/2021SpectatorRegistration, or by calling the St. Charles County Parks and Recreation Department at 636-949-7535. Only 1,500 spectators will be admitted to the event that day with those who purchase advanced tickets receiving priority. Day-of-the-race admittance is free.

Guests can enjoy entertainment, concessions, and displays from sporting and food vendors prior to the start of the race and during the event. A variety of park games will be held with prizes for the winners. The pump track will be closed to bikes, scooters, and skateboards during the event, but other park amenities, including the state’s largest outdoor skate course will remain open for riding. It features nighttime lighting; beginner, intermediate and advanced bowls with several roll-in features; a street course with trick rails; and a snake run scattered with ramps, gaps and hubbas. A helmet and waiver are required to ride in the park. Children under 12 years of age or not in the sixth grade must be accompanied by an adult. No outside food or drink allowed. Seating is limited; spectators are encouraged to bring folding chairs.

If you are at least 17 years of age and want to compete in this athletic biking competition, it’s not too late. Participants may ride either a BMX or MTB. A minimum wheel size of 20 inches is required. The cost to compete is $20 per person. Register at redbullpumptrackworldchampionship.com.