A 5K race is being held Nov. 22 to call attention to children who are awaiting adoption because they cannot safely remain with their birth parents.
The Footprints to a Forever Family 5K run and walk underscores the great need for adoptive families for children who are living in foster care after experiencing abuse or neglect so severe that the court has severed their parental ties. National figures say there are more than 100,000 such children living in the United States.
Last year 257 of these children were adopted through FamiliesFirst Network (FFN), the agency responsible for the safety and well-being of abused, neglected and abandoned children in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties. This is the fourth consecutive year that FFN has held the 5K.
Nov. 22 is National Adoption Day. Footprints to a Forever Family begins at 9 a.m. at Bayview Park, 20 East Lloyd Street, Pensacola. The route loops around the beautiful East Hill neighborhood adjoining the park and ends where it began. A children s fun run begins at 10:30 a.m. There also will be an awards ceremony, music, snacks, door prizes and activities for children.
The registration fee is $20 for walkers and runners through Nov. 16. Afterward and on the day of the race it will be $25. There is no charge for children participating in the fun run.
Long-sleeved T-shirts featuring the event s logo will be given to the first 200 people who register for the run/walk. All proceeds from Footprints to a Forever Family will benefit FFN s adoption services.
To register and get additional details, go online to Footprints5kRun-Walk.kintera.org.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: 5K race to raise awareness of the need for adoptive families