Thursday, April 14, 2016

Local church holds third annual Arm of Hope 5K to support mission

Hope Community Church on Harrisburg Pike in Rheems will hold its third annual Arm of Hope 5K at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 28. The race supports a week at summer camp for children for more than 300 children from the slums of Accra, Ghana.


There, they get to sleep on a bunk bed inside a concrete building, eat three meals a day and play simple games. These aren't likely to be highlights of a typical American child's week at summer camp, but for the Ghanan kids these are summer-camp luxuries they look forward to for a whole year. 

Volunteers from Hope Community Church will be traveling to the West African country this August to help conduct the summer camp for the third time. The 5K raises funds for the meals, crafts, games and camp scholarships so the African children can enjoy a week outside the slums.

The race starts and ends in the parking lot behind the church and winds through the nearby neighborhood. The course has some small hills with plenty of turns, but it also is relatively flat and nice for first-time 5K runners. Walkers are welcome, too. This was the course that my son first beat me in a 5K the other year, and I've not been able to catch him. 

Top overall and masters finishers in both male and female categories will go home with a unique handcrafted trophy. The top two male and female finishers in every 5-year age bracket will also receive prizes (their choice of a homemade baked good). And there will be great door prizes, too.

New this year: dri fit race shirts, a paved parking lot at the starting and finishing spots and a free water bottle to everyone who participates.

The cost to participants is $25 and all proceeds go toward the summer camp in Ghana. Deadline to register and be guaranteed  a 5K dri fit race shirt is May 8.  Race day registrations welcome! limited shirts will be available. Register here

For more information, visit the Arm of Hope ministry website and the race's Facebook page.  

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