Hope for Haitians 5K/Walk Run will help Haitian kids to attend school

In Haiti, $109 pays for a whole year of education for a single child. It's a fact Hope for Haitians is using to advertise the Fifth Annual 5K Walk/Run for Education, a fundraiser scheduled this Saturday, May 7. The race kicks off at 8:30 a.m. at the Kane County Government Center, 719 S. Batavia Ave (Rte 31) in Geneva.

“I think everybody is entitled to a good education and I want to help every little bit that I can,” said Geneva resident Kelly Towler, 43, a third-grade teacher at Williamsburg Elementary School in Geneva.

This is the second time Towler will be running in the event. She was prompted by friend and organizer Amy McTeague of Geneva.

“She's passionate about this cause and because of her passion I've gained an awareness about the poverty in Haiti,” Towler said.

Most of the runners/walkers are from the Tri-Cities, with some coming from Sugar Grove or other communities with churches that support Hope for Haitians, according to Karen Dix, one of the event organizers.

“We have between 300 and 400 people who participate,” said Dix, a St. Charles resident who is registered to walk in the event. “My daughter and her family will be participating. There are seven of us called ‘Karen's Krew' and my 8-year-old granddaughter is going to run.”

The flat course runs along the riverwalk and loops back to its starting point. An outside vendor will provide official finish times. Runners age 13 and older will be chipped, and every participant goes home with a goody bag that includes a T-shirt and a free Kane County Cougars game ticket.

Participants are invited to come as early as 7 a.m. Before and after the event, runners and their families can enjoy a free breakfast.

“We have donations from Panera, Chick-fil-A, Breadsmith and coffee from Starbucks,” Dix said. “We have a lot of vendors with a nice array of food.”

Dogs are welcome at the event, and kids 12 and younger can run or walk for free, play in a bouncy house, have their faces painted and watch a balloon artist. Ozzie the Cougar, the Kane County Cougars official mascot, will meet and greet children throughout the event.

“For the really tiny ones, we also have a kids' race at the end which is just a little dash,” Dix said. “We have a lot of fun stuff for kids to do, and it's a festive atmosphere that we create.”

Hope for Haitians, based in Rockford, works in tandem with the Food for the Poor organization to help Haitians in a variety of ways including building villages.

“I've been to Haiti myself and so I've seen the villages Hope for Haitians provides,” Dix said.

Churches, such as St. John Neumann Catholic Church and St. Patrick Parish, both in St. Charles, support the organization. Dix, who attends St. John Neumann, heard about Hope for Haitians at a Mass and decided to get on board with the effort.

“We give them agriculture as well as an industry of some kind, and the goal is that they become self-sustaining,” Dix said.

While this year's 5K Walk/Run for Education specifically raises dollars for schooling Haitian children, Hope for Haitians also provides resources such as community centers, a toilet in each home, and solar power.

“We raise about $30,000 at each race,” Dix said, adding that the $25 registration fee ($30 on race day) is just the beginning of those funds. “A lot of our dedicated participants will put it on Facebook and ask other people if they'd like to support them as they race and that's how we get most of our donations.”

Runners will receive prizes in each age group, which are medallions handcrafted in Haiti.

“The ones we had from last year were just beautiful so that's another nice connection with the people of Haiti,” Dix said.

While at the race, participants can learn more about Hope for Haitians through posters, pictures, banners and announcements.

For more information about the mission and how to register for the race, visit www.hopeforhaitians.org/.

Hope for Haitians fifth annual 5K Walk/Run for Education

<b>Why:</b> To raise money to educate Haitian children and lift Haitian communities out of poverty

<b>When:</b> 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 7

<b>Where:</b> Kane County Government Center, 719 S. Batavia Ave. (Route 31), Geneva.

<b>Registration:</b> $25-$30; race day registration available

<b>Details:</b> <a href="http://www.hopeforhaitians.org">www.hopeforhaitians.org</a>/.