Beyond the finish line: 10K With a Cop leads to room makeovers for Modesto, Empire kids
Ten-year-old Dustin Tracy was awestruck when he walked into the bedroom of his airport neighborhood home on Friday morning.
“Oh, my God!” he exclaimed as his eyes darted from the full-size bed with crisp white sheets to the sleek black desk and dresser set against the light green walls.
Dustin took a running leap and belly flopped on his bed as the people responsible for his new room clapped.
Dustin was one of nine children to have their bedrooms made over with fresh paint and all new furniture by members of the Modesto Police Department and other local law enforcement and volunteers from the Modesto Gospel Mission and Calvary Chapel.
The remodels were part of The Healthy Room Project and made possible through funds from 10K With a Cop. The program is the first of its kind in this area.
Modesto Police Department Detective Sean Dodge, known for running marathons in full uniform, helped start the 10K With a Cop program. Officers in Modesto go to schools and the Modesto Gospel Mission to do practice runs with children with the goal that they will compete together in a 10k or 5k race in the spring.
Dodge partnered with his friend and retired Hawthorn police Officer Mark Kirunchik, who started The Healthy Room Project as an experimental program in 2015 by fixing up rooms at a housing project in the Los Angeles area.
Kirunchik was doing it one room at a time but had the idea to solicit the help of fellow law enforcement officers to get the work done “search warrant style where ... we are bringing all the same resources but we are bringing joy.”
Six rooms were remodeled for nine children in Modesto and Empire. They were chosen by teachers and staff at the Modesto Gospel Mission, where some participate in the youth program and have experienced homelessness.
None of the children had desks or proper lighting to do their homework, some slept on military cots and others on heavily stained carpet.
Now the kids have safe places that are all theirs. Soon, a local artist will provide a unique touch to each room by painting a mural of the child’s choice.
All the children either participated in 10k With a Cop or are siblings of children who participated.
“I never would have expected them running with the cops was going to provide safety in the home and that they could see the cops are coming here for something good,” said Evelyn Toombs, whose 9, 10 and 12 year-old children got new bedrooms in their downtown Modesto home.
As a child, Tooms watched the police raid her home, she said. “I’ve seen my house get flipped upside down, but my babies don’t get to see that today,” she said Friday. “They came into my home and arranged their rooms and made it beautiful and made it safe.”
Tooms said the pandemic hit her kids hard, and they became anxious and reclusive. But 10k With a Cop helped them overcome some of their anxieties and return to some prepandemic normalcy.
Dodge said the program started out just running with kids but now utilizes a curriculum developed by a family therapist to teach kids the importance of goal setting, discipline and health and wellness through physical activity.
“One to two times a week, we talk about superpowers — what kind of superpower do you have? Are you good at math, basketball, making friends? And how can you use that to make your community better or succeed and do well in school?” said Dodge, who’s known to wear a Superman shirt beneath his uniform during some runs.
Dustin said the 10k was tough, his lungs were burning, but after completing the race, “I felt great, and just having the medal on my wall is amazing.”
After revealing the new room to Dustin, Dodge told him, “You were always a giver, you were always thinking of (other) people first, and that’s important if you want to be successful in life. We are so proud of you and I want you to know you’re loved.”
To learn more about The Healthy Room Project, start one in your area or volunteer, email Mark Kirunchik at mark.k@thehealthyroomproject.org
