On Saturday, May 12, a four-mile run/walk will take place at Sharon Woods Metro Park, located at 6911 Cleveland Avenue in Westerville. Dubbed “Run for Heroes,” proceeds from the race will benefit the USO of Central and Southern Ohio, and #22 Kill, non-profit organizations that dedicate their time and effort to active military, their family, and veterans through various programs and events. Registration starts at 8:00 a.m., and the race begins at 9:00 a.m. Parking is at Chase across the street, and the race will start and finish at the Sledding Hill entrance. Children under five are free and strollers are welcome. Sign up is $22 until February 1, and then the cost goes up to $25. Registration information and details about the race can be found at: https://Racepenguin.com/events/run-for-heroes/. Package pickup will be available the weekend before at Sharon Woods.
The USO of Central and Southern Ohio (CSO) provides a home away from home to local military and their families. USO-CSO is in 65 counties in Central and Southern Ohio, West Virginia and Northern Kentucky. The mission is to keep America’s military service members connected to family, home and country. They do this through lounges, programs, unit support and events.
#22Kill works to raise awareness to the suicide epidemic that is plaguing our country and educate the public on mental health issues such as PTSD. #22Kill also serves as a resource for veterans and continues to build on its network of like-minded organizations to be able to connect veterans with programs and services in their local area. Funds raised through merchandise sales and donations are used to support partnered organizations that offer programs focusing on veteran empowerment, mental health treatment and therapy/counseling for veterans and their families.
The Westerville City School District (WCSD) has a proud tradition of honoring our nation’s veterans through various activities. They also have a tradition of supporting community service initiatives and fundraising events. From October 23 through November 8, each school in Westerville created a display of “My Hero” cards as part of Veterans Day activities. For just a $1 donation per card, individuals could honor their personal military heroes and have their names as part of this display. This effort raised $2,384 to help sponsor this race.