Burien's annual Strawberry and Arts Festival June 23-24 will feature a new 5K run and walk this year to benefit the Ruth Dykeman Children's Center and the WhiteWater Aquatics Club.
The Burien-based Ruth Dykeman Center is a longstanding non-profit organization that supports children and families. WhiteWater Aquatics fosters competitive swimming and other aquatic athletics in Burien and South King County.
Highline High School students also organized the run/walk, which will start at 9 a.m. Sunday, June 24, as a community-service project.
Highline health and physical education teacher Mary Legate wanted to create a meaningful class project that would get students more involved with the community.
Her 40 students have been working out, tracking mileage in running logs and knocking on doors to invite local business owners to sign up for a $50 event sponsorship.
"It's a great way to learn," said Legate, "and much more relevant and memorable than traditional textbook activities that accompany our fitness program."
John Hanrahan of WhiteWater Aquatics said he hopes the 5K will become an annual event in Burien, though for now he's focused on ensuring first-year success by offering a fun run/walk of manageable size.
"I created the event to help our local swim team provide scholarships," he said, "but also to raise awareness about swimming, gain some visibility for the team and give something back to the community."
The 5K (3.1 mile) route will start at Southwest 152nd Street and Sixth Avenue Southwest and finish at Southwest 146th Street and Sixth Avenue Southwest in Burien.
Registration materials and pledge forms are available at Highline Athletic Club, 125 S. 156th St., Goodie Gumdrops, 816 S.W. 152nd St., and at B Town Scoop, 917 S.W. 152nd St.
Event sponsors include Highline Athletic Club, First Sound Bank, Toyota of Burien, Burien Chevrolet, Trader Joes, Albertsons, Noah's Bagels, Available Personnel Services Inc., Security Imaging Corporation, Jana W. Helmuth, CPA, Highline Therapy Services, Schroeter Surveying, Inc., Advance Physical Therapy and Advance Chiropractic.
To register for the 5K run/walk on line, visit www.active.com.
To sponsor the event, volunteer or get more information on entering, contact Susan Alotrico, vice-president of community resources at Ruth Dykeman Children's Center, 206-242-1690, ext. 142.
