Annual Running for the Heroes will be held Sept. 9

For the sixth consecutive year, area residents will be able to give back to first responders and have a good time doing it.

The annual Running for the Heroes 5K Run, which raises money for law enforcement officers injured in the line of duty, will begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 9 at the Towle Park pavilion. In conjunction with the 5K, the Bowling With the Badge bowling tournament will be held at 1 p.m. that day at Snyder Lanes and Grill.

Scurry County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeanette Pritchard, who is organizing the events, said 75 percent of the money raised during the events will go to help Darrell Campbell, a Snyder Police Department officer who was shot and seriously wounded in July 2011 while responding to a family disturbance call. 

The remainder of the money will be split between relief funds established for two critically wounded San Antonio police officers and for the family of New York Police Department officer Miosotis Familia, who was shot to death while sitting in her marked police car earlier this year.

Pritchard, a running enthusiast, helped organize the first event in 2011 to raise money to help Campbell and his family.

“I run a lot of 5Ks and I knew they raised money for a lot of charities, so I decided this would be a good way for us to help Darrell,” she said.

Entry fees for the 5K range from $10 for toddlers to $25 for timed runners. Medals and door prizes donated by area businesses will be awarded at the conclusion of the race.

Before the start of the race, a short ceremony honoring active and retired first responders and U.S. military veterans will be held, Pritchard said.

The bowling tournament is open to four-person teams with an entry fee of $100 per team.

To register or volunteer, call Pritchard at the law enforcement center at 573-3551. To apply for the events online, visit www.runningfortheheroes.org