Every week, the Oregonian runs a column highlighting one or more foster kids who are available for adoption. I have to confess that on at least a couple of occasions, I’ve thought to myself, there sure do seem to be a lot of foster kids for this column to run every week. But in fact, at any given time, there are so many Oregon kids in foster care that the Oregonian could publish a column every day featuring not one, not two, but TWENTY kids.
The non-profit organization Embrace Oregon, which puts on the Run Foster 5K race, is dedicated to helping those kids. As Embrace Oregon explains, its mission is to “connect[] caring community members with vulnerable children and families in partnership with the Department of Human Services. We are dedicated to the flourishing of every child.”
Apart from the punny name of the race, what is the connection between running and supporting foster care?
Two years ago, we gathered as a group of athletes from the same faith community with a desire to use our passion for physical activity to bless our city. Since then, we have been meeting regularly to run, climb, lift weights, enjoy life, and grow in faith together.
Run Foster is our group’s way of converging our passion for running, our love of our city and our desire to help vulnerable children. We believe in what Embrace Oregon does and wanted to get involved in our unique way.
You can help by running, volunteering at the run, or donating directly.
To donate, click here. To volunteer, click here. As for the race itself, here are the details:
The race takes place on September 24 at Gabriel Park in SW Portland. The course consists of two loops through the park, which contains some rolling hills. There will be a timing clock but no chip timing, and an aid station near the start/finish (so runners will encounter it around the halfway point). Most importantly, the race is a fundraiser, so all net proceeds go to Embrace Oregon and its mission.
Run Foster 5K
When: Sept. 24, 2016, at 9 a.m.
Where: Gabriel Park: baseball field near parking lot off of SW 42nd and Vermont St.
Register: Online here ($35 for 5K; $5 for kid’s fun run; $100 for a family of four; registration includes race shirt and finisher’s medal)