The Friends of the Union County Child Advocacy Center – a nonprofit group whose mission is to provide support for the facility at which local victims of physical and sexual child abuse receive treatment and needed services – is hosting a 5K fundraiser, Race 4 the Children, on Sunday, April 19 in Elizabeth’s Warinanco Park.
The 5K and a two-mile “fun walk” are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., rain or shine. The event is being co-sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the City of Elizabeth, in memory of late Union County Prosecutor Andrew K. Ruotolo, who served from 1991 until his death in 1995.
“As the Center celebrates 20 years of helping victims of child abuse in Union County, we hope to build awareness of its mission and help raise needed funds to expand treatment programs,” Ertman said. “The Race 4 the Children 5K /2-mile walk is a healthy way to show support for the Center and its tremendous staff, who are dedicated to helping child abuse victims throughout the County.”
Those interested in participating can register online at www.friendscacunj.org; the cost to register is $25 up until April 3 and $35 thereafter. All entrants who register early will receive a T-shirt commemorating the race, while male and female first-, second-, and third-place finishers of the 5K will receive Visa gift cards valued at $250, $150, and $100, respectively. Sponsorships are also available for purchase, and all sponsors will be recognized on the nonprofit group’s website, on printed promotional materials, and in various other formats on the day of the race.
The “one-stop” service facility houses prosecutors, detectives, child protection workers, nurses, physicians, and therapists who work with children of Union County who have been sexually and/or physically abused. At the Center, these children disclose the details of abuse in a friendly environment where each child and family member receives appropriate referrals for medical and psychological follow-up treatment.