(Courtesy photo)
By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
HARLINGEN, TX —The second annual United We Run 5K Fun Run/Walk, presented by the United Way of Northern Cameron County, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 6. Organizers are still registering runners and walkers who want to participate in the event held at McKelvey Park.
The event has a 7:30 a.m. start.
Last year’s inaugural event had just over 100 runners, and this time around, there are vast changes, according to one official.
“As of right now, we are averaging the same number of runners, but this year it is timed as opposed to last year,” said Liz Chavez, CEO/president of the Boys and Girls Club of San Benito. “This run is a chance to make a big impact across our whole community. What makes this run unique is that it benefits nine different local non-profits, all doing important work right here at home.”
The non-profits associated with the event that will award the top three male and female overall finishers are as follows: Loaves & Fishes; Family Crisis Center RGV; Boys & Girls Club of San Benito; Boys & Girls Club of Harlingen; Children’s Bereavement Center-RGV; Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas; Harlingen Neighborhood Food Pantry; Valley AIDS Council; and Literacy Center of Harlingen.
The event funds will be distributed among the nine non-profits for programming and operations, said Chavez, who is a first-time event committee official. “All nine non-profits are partnered with United Way of Northern Cameron County. They wanted to find ways to keep supporting them, so they decided on the running event to strengthen the partnership and collaboration.”
Participation cost is $35 per person, and $25 for students and/or military (with proper ID).
Teams with 10 or more runners can register for $25 per person.
There will be T-shirts and medals for every timed participant. Participants are asked to provide their size via the website: unitedwayincameronwillacy.org.
This weekend, the first 50 children to register can run for free; however, a shirt is not included.
Event packets may be picked up a day before the run between 3-6 p.m., only at Footworks, located at 2225 South 77 Sunshine Strip, Suite 94, in Harlingen.
Footworks will be associated with the running event, too.
“We are grateful for the help from Footworks and City Cruisers Cycling, who are subject matter experts in runs and lending their expertise,” Chavez said.
She said there are still sponsorship opportunities available.
“All the non-profits are eager to make this run a success, so they are equally working hard to make sure this event is successful for years to come and will all be present at the run,” Chavez said. “Instead of supporting a single cause, every step participants take will help strengthen multiple organizations that touch the lives of families, children, and neighbors in need. It’s also a fun and healthy way to come together as a community, and know that a registration fee is stretching further than most events because it supports so many missions at once.”
To contact United Way of Northern Cameron County, call (956) 423-5954.
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