Run will benefit Turlock chaplain program

Runners and walkers will take on physical challenges – 5- and 10-kilometer races – to benefit chaplains who help people through emotional troubles.

The Turlock Chaplaincy will hold its sixth annual fun run on Saturday, with the proceeds supporting its work with law enforcement, firefighters and schools.

The races will start at 9 a.m. at downtown’s Denair Park and cover a flat loop through residential areas. The 5K entrants will do the course once, the 10K participants twice. All finishers will get medals.

“This is a fantastic fundraising event for the Turlock Chaplaincy because it really calls people from all walks of life together and in support of a worthy cause,” race director Kathy Smith said in a news release.

“The race includes mothers pushing their children in strollers to adults in their 80s running and walking. It’s very community inclusive, and we love it,” Smith said.

The chaplaincy, established in 2000, is a nonprofit group serving the Turlock police and fire departments, the Turlock Unified School District and the police department at California State University, Stanislaus.

It is staffed by ordained ministers trained to counsel crime victims, emergency workers and people who have lost loved ones. All of the funding is through donations.

The race sponsors include Off Center Thrift & Gift, Emanuel Medical Center, Turlock Scavenger, Ali Cox & Co. Marketing and MK Electric.

This story was originally published April 6, 2015 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Run will benefit Turlock chaplain program."