WINONA LAKE- A 5K walk and run to raise awareness about domestic violence will be Saturday in Winona Lake.
Registration for the walk and run begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Winona Lake Park shelter between the town hall and senior center.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness month.
The entry fee for the race is $5. T-shirts also will be sold for $10.Proceeds from the event will benefit Warsaw Police Department's Victims Assistance Program. The program provides guidance and support to victims of domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, and other violent crimes.
Grace College students Bethany Bucher and Valerie Faber-Cooke are chairs for the walk and run. Both are junior counseling and criminal justice majors.
Bucher said after graduation she plans to work in victims advocacy, and wanted to help raise funds for the victim's service program.
"My family had foster children in our home who came from homes where domestic violence was present," Bucher said.
She said she hopes the walk and run will raise awareness about domestic violence.
Faber-Cooke came up with the idea for the walk last summer.
"We have so many students on campus who run or walk and I thought it would be a good idea to hold a race where funds could be raised to benefit a local organization," Faber-Cooke said.
Becky Moreno, WPD victims service coordinator, said she applies for grants for the program, but donations from the community helps to ensure the program keeps going.
"It is awesome these Grace students have taken on the 5K, and it is important because it will bring awareness that domestic violence happens more than people realize," Moreno said.
She said funds donated will help purchase informational materials about the program and provide funds to keep the program going.
People in the community are encouraged to participate in the race, but if they can't they can donate funds. For more information about the victims assistance program visit www.victimservicecenter.org
For more information about the race contact Bucher at 219-781-6299 or bucherbb@grace.edu or Faber-Cooke at 804-356-4026 or fabervr@grace.edu
